


Wolfram's Bruise

by chochowilliams



Series: Uniting As One [1]
Category: Gravitation, Kyou Kara Maou!, Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitte Iru | Only the Ring Finger Knows
Genre: Anal, Drama, Fantasy, Language, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Male Slash, Oral, Original Character(s), Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-03
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-17 16:50:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 45,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/553764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chochowilliams/pseuds/chochowilliams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greta notices a mark on Wolfram's neck and asks him about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When It Became Known

**Wolfram’s Bruise**  
 **Uniting As One series**  
 **Crossover:** _Gravitation, Only The Ring finger Knows_  
 **Written by:** chochowilliams  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh_ or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.  
 **Summary:** Greta notices a mark on Wolfram's neck and asks him about it.  
 **Warning:** Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Language, OOC, OCs, M/M Sexual Situation, Anal, Oral, M-Preg  
 **Pairings:** Yuri/Wolfram  
 **Inserts:** “Why Me?” by Robby Syruws  
 **A/N:** Originally, there were 14 chapters, but I have since condensed them into 6 chapters. This series has three parts: Wolfram’s Bruise, “The Gorgeous Creature That Stands Before Me”, “Yuri’s Secret”. Enjoy!

 

* * *

 

**Chapter 1: When It Became Known**

**Covenant Castle -- The Great Demon Kingdom**

He was so hot. The place where they were joined ached pleasantly. As he was rocked, in his delirium he forgot to close his mouth and continually gasped. “Yu…ri!”

“Wolfram,” his partner cried out above him.

“Nn…! Aah…! Aah,” the Demon Prince panted wildly.

Yuri’s rhythm changed. He began to speed up.

“Uh…!” Wolfram clasped his King’s shoulders, his fingers clawing at Yuri’s back. Wolfram’s legs were bent; one of his knees was pointed at the ceiling while the other one hugged Yuri’s hip tightly. Something was happening. Wolfram could feel it. “Yu…ri…Yuri! I…”

“I love you…Wolfram…,” Yuri grunted. With a final thrust, he climaxed, spilling his essence deeply inside of his fiancé and soon to be husband.

“Aah…ahhh!” Wolfram’s grip tightened on Yuri’s shoulders as his orgasm swept through him, coloring his vision. It bowed Wolfram’s back, arching him off the bed. His head was flung back. Emerald eyes glazed over in passion stared blankly at the shelf behind the bed as he emitted all of the heat that had been building up inside of him at once. Panting heavily, Wolfram lay in a boneless heap. The added weight that collapsed onto Wolfram was delicious. He hugged his arms around Yuri, holding him tightly against him. They lay in comforting silence in each others arms as they tried to slow their racing hearts and relearn how to breathe.

After a while, Yuri propped himself up in a half pushup motion with a grimace and rolled off Wolfram. He collapsed on his back onto the bed besides Wolfram with a groan. His whole body ached, but he languished in the exhaustion that swept through him.

Yuri knew they had to change the bed sheets and wash up before they fell asleep, otherwise they were going to pay for it in the morning, or more accurately, he was going to pay for it when Wolfram woke up covered with a thick layer of dried come all over him, but fatigue took a firm hold of Yuri before that thought was even half finished.

He was half-aware of the bed being jostled as Wolfram snuggled up against him. Before long, soft snores permeated the night as the Demon King and his Consort gave into the demands of the night.

 

* * *

 

**The Next Morning**

“‘D’ya ever have an awful day/Where nothin’ ever goes your way?’”

Greta giggled from her seat on Wolfram’s lap. “It rhymes!”

“Yeah, it sure does,” Wolfram agreed.

Once again, Yuri had been hulled off by Günter right after the breakfast dishes had been cleared away. Apparently, he had several stacks of papers that had to be signed before lunch. Then he had his studies and after that, he had his sparring lessons with Conrart.

There were supposed to host Mr. Heathcrife and his daughter Beatrice for dinner that night, but they had sent word by carrier pigeon that they would not be able to arrive until the next morning, at the earliest, because of a sudden storm that was brewing off the coast of Cavalcade. So, instead, Günter had decided that “His Majesty should get a head start on other matters of state”.

While they waited for Yuri to finish, Wolfram and Greta were killing time by reading a book that Yuri had brought back with him the last time he journeyed to Earth. It was called “Why me?”

“’Well this is one of those days for me/It was the worse I say, times three!/It started when I fell out of bed/And sprained my toe and hit my head’.”

Greta giggled at the picture that showed a little boy, who had apparently fallen out of bed, on the floor rubbing a large bump on his head. There was a single tear in the corner of his eye. “That’s funny.”

“‘D’ya ever have an awful day/Where nothin’ ever goes your way?”

Greta giggled again.

“‘I spilt the juice I tried to pour/And watched it drip right to the floor/On my knees to clean it up/I wonder how I missed the cup?’”

The illustration this time showed the boy at the kitchen table looking incredulously at his empty cup that sat in the middle of a pool of what had to be juice. Greta laughed.

Wolfram snorted. Were all Humans this clumsy? He thought of Yuri and realized he had his answer.

As he turned the page, his daughter’s inquiring voice broke into the silence. “Hey, Wolfram?”

“Yes? What is it Greta?”

“Uhm, what’s that on your neck?”

Keeping a finger in the book to mark the page, Wolfram glanced at Greta. “Where?”

Greta pointed at an ugly, dark, circular mark that was partially covered by the collar of Wolfram’s jacket. “Right there.”

Wolfram touched where Greta indicated.

“It looks like a bruise,” she said innocently.

Wolfram gasped. His eyes went wide. He clasped a hand over the bruise and jumped to his feet, spilling both Greta and the book to the castle floor.

“Ow,” Greta cried. Rubbing her sore behind, she lifted her head and saw Wolfram making a hasty retreat out of the library. “Wolfram?” she called after him.

 

* * *

 

At the sound of hurried approaching feet, the words died on Conrart’s tongue. He had been speaking with a group of the castle guards about new patrol parameters that were going to be instituted by Gwendal in the next few days. He stepped away from the men, dismissing them back to their posts, and glancing down the hall, spotted Wolfram racing towards him.

“Wolfram?” Conrart questioned.

Wolfram rushed past him in a blur of color without a word. His left hand was clasping the right side of his neck and he had a flustered expression on his face.

“I wonder what’s gotten into him.” Conrart looked over his shoulder when he heard movement behind him and saw Greta standing in the open library doorway. “Greta?”

“Hi, Conrart.”

“Do you know where Wolfram took off to in such a hurry?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

Greta shrugged. “I just asked him about his bruise.”

Conrart raised an eyebrow at that. “A bruise?”

“Yeah,” Greta nodded. “We were reading and I noticed a bruise on Wolfram’s neck, so I asked him about it.”

Conrart glanced at his younger brother’s retreating figure. “I wonder.”

Greta looked up at her uncle. “Was he hurt, Conrart? Will he be okay?” she asked.

Conrart chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, Greta. He’ll be fine.”

 

* * *

 

When the words on the legal document he was supposed to be going over started swimming, Yuri set the pen down next to the ink well and resting his elbows on the desk, pressed his fingers into his tired eyes.

“This sucks.”

Sometimes he really did not like being King. All this paperwork was so tedious and redundant and all this legal mumbo jumbo just confused the hell out of him. He was steadily becoming better at his role as King, but he still had a lot to learn. And that was why he relied upon those around him for help, especially Günter, but his aide had been “volunteered” temporarily by Anissina. Yuri wished the man luck. He was going to need it.

Sighing heavily, Yuri wondered what time it was. It felt like he had been at this forever.

Dropping his arms, Yuri leaned his head back against the top of the chair and shut his eyes. Forcing himself to relax, he slowly felt the tension ease out of his body.

An image of Wolfram’s grim face popped into his mind and he wondered what his hotheaded fiancé was doing. He could just picture the Demon Prince scowling and muttering angrily to himself, and anyone who had the misfortune of being nearby, just what a wimp the Demon King really was. The image was so vivid and so Wolfram that it brought a smirk to Yuri’s face. He chuckled lightly.

But his laughter was cut short as the office doors unexpectedly burst open. Nearly jumping out of his skin at the explosive intrusion, Yuri’s eyes popped open with a startled gasp. His head flew up. Speak of the devil. “Wolfram,” he breathed. He placed a hand over his racing heart. “You scared me half to death,” he accused.

Wolfram, not appearing apologetic in the least, stormed into the office.

Yuri gulped nervously. He wondered what it was he had supposedly done this time. “You know, I was just thinking about you.”

Wolfram’s step faltered. He blushed, but shook himself. “As well you should be,” he snapped at Yuri. “But we have others matters that you should be dwelling on,” he said as he stepped up to the desk.

“What’s that?” Yuri asked.

“This!” Wolfram tugged down the collar of his uniform jacket.

Yuri blinked stupidly at the dark mark on his fiancé’s neck. It took him several long seconds to realize just what it was he was supposed to be looking at. “Wolfram, is that a-?”

“You know damn well it is!”

Yuri blushed. “I’m sorry,” he apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He had never really seen one before and he had to admit that he felt a sense of pride when he saw the mark that adorned Wolfram’s neck and that he had been the one to put it there. He knew it was barbaric, but Yuri loved the idea that this mark branded Wolfram as his.

“You’d better be, Wimp!” Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest with a ‘humph’.

Yuri watched Wolfram silently. He cocked his head to the side. “…Hey, Wolfram? Don’t you think that’s strange?”

“Huh? What’re you babbling about now?”

“You’re getting awfully upset over something as simple as a hickey.”

Wolfram dropped his arms and growled lightly. “And like the stupid wimp that you are, you aren’t taking this seriously at all!”

“‘Seriously’?” Yuri repeated in amusement. “Wolfram, it’s just a hickey.”

Wolfram was scandalized. “‘Just a hickey’? ‘Just a hickey’? You obviously don’t grasp how serious this situation is!”

Yuri sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. Wolfram was such a prima donna. “Jeez, Wolfram. You act like having a hickey is a sign of the Apocalypse, or something.”

Wolfram’s face went bright red. A strangled cry was torn from his lips. He sped around the desk and slapped his hands over Yuri’s mouth. His eyes wide in panic, he glanced over his shoulder at the open office door. “Will you stop saying that word, you fool!” he hissed. “What if someone hears you?”

Yuri was taken back. He forcibly removed Wolfram’s hands from his mouth. “So?” He did not understand the problem.

“‘So’? You wimp!”

Yuri searched Wolfram’s face studiously. “…Wolfram. Does it embarrass you?”

“Huh?” Wolfram asked, his voice deadpanned.

“The hickey. Are you ashamed of it?”

That got Wolfram angry. “Of course not!” he snapped. “How can you ask something so vulgar?”

Yuri’s eyes went hard. “What I’m supposed to think, Wolfram? You come storming in here all upset about a love bite on your neck!”

Wolfram blushed. “You’re not supposed to think anything,” he snapped, through his embarrassment. “You’re supposed to know that if word gets back to Gwendal that you deflowered his little brother before we were properly married, he’s going to castrate and disembowel you and use your guts for garters!”

Yuri went pale. He gulped.

“Not to mention what Günter’ll do when he finds out about ‘this kind of behavior before’ we’re ‘bound by matrimony’!” Wolfram turned his back to Yuri and crossed his arms over his chest.

How could Yuri not comprehend the severity of this situation? For someone who was supposedly the Demon King, Yuri was pretty out of the loop.

Truthfully, he could care less what Günter thought about them having pre-marital sex. What he and Yuri did in the privacy of their bedroom, or wherever they happened to be at the time, was none of Günter’s business. Günter’s job as the King’s Aide had nothing to do with Yuri and his sex life, but his brother was a horse of a different color. Gwendal might not look it, but he was very over protective of his younger siblings, especially after the debacle that had occurred with Conrart last year. And if Wolfram knew anything about Gwendal, the Commander-in-Chief would think nothing about harming the Demon King if it meant protecting the honor of his little brother.

Besides, how could Yuri even think that he would be even the least bit ashamed of the “bruise” on his neck? Yes, he was a little embarrassed by “it”. He would admit that much, but not in the way that Yuri was thinking. If anyone saw “it”, then they would know instantly what “it” was and how “it” came to be there and what the two of them had been in the midst of doing at the time of “it’s” creation. It was embarrassing in that regard. Their sex life was nobody’s business. It was not something up for public display.

Moreover, if his men were to see it, there was no way they would take him seriously as their Commander.

Wolfram jumped when he felt arms wrap around his waist. He glanced over his shoulder. “Yuri?”

Yuri embraced Wolfram from behind. He pressed his lips over the hickey on Wolfram’s neck in a brief, chaste kiss. “I used to complain when you acted so protective of me,” he said softly.

A red flush brushed across Wolfram’s face. Sometimes he did not like that Yuri had come to be able to read him so easily.

Pressing their cheeks together, Yuri tightened his arms around Wolfram. “But I think it’s kind of sweet.”

“Wha-!”

Wolfram’s cry of protestation was cut short by a soft press of lips against his. His lids fluttered closed and he melted into the kiss.

 

* * *

 

With a smile, Conrart turned from the scene and noiselessly shut the office doors. Now, how to break the news to Gwendal without any blood being spilled.

 

* * *

 

**The Next Afternoon**

“His Majesty Yuri Shibuya Harujuku Furi, the 27th Demon King, and GLORY TO THE FIRST GREAT DEMON KING AND HIS PEOPLE, THE DEMON TRIBE. OH, NEVER FORGET THAT THE ENTIRE WORLD FIRST BEGAN WITH US, THE DEMON TRIBE. WITH THE POWER, WISDOM AND BRAVERY THAT DEFEATED EVEN THE ORIGINATORS THE DEMON TRIBE WILL PROSPER FOR ETERNITY, otherwise known as the Great Demon Kingdom, as Grantor(s), for the consideration of Seventeen Hundred and Fifty-Three Dollars ($1753) a month, hereby convey, grant and deed to JOCHEN BUTCHERS, a Sole Proprietorship, as Grantee, the real property located in the County of…”

Groaning, Yuri tossed the grant deed aside. The parchment fluttered across the desk to land on the lip of the desk. It teetered precariously.

His mind had turned to mush sometime before lunch. Even now, a couple of hours before dinner, he could feel it oozing from his ear.

He did not understand a word he just read. It went in one ear and out the other. It was something about granting some guy some land he could rent to open up a butcher shop in town, or something. Or, that was what Yuri got out of it anyway. He could be wrong as he so often was. Maybe if he could actually understand what it was he was supposed to be signing, it would help make this process run along more smoothly. Or if Günter or even Gwendal were here to help explain all this to him like they always were. But Günter had been called away earlier and had since gone MIA and Gwendal was not exactly speaking to him at the moment.

Yuri took in the piles of paperwork that he still had to go through before he retired for the night with an evil eye.

Or maybe Günter was just scared away by the massive piles that seemed to be never ending lately.

Usually, Gwendal looked through everything and decided what should go before the Demon King to sign and what was not even worth his time. All Yuri had to do in the past was sign his name at the bottom. But not anymore. Over the last year, Gwendal has slowly been relinquishing what had been his duties ever since his mother, Lady Celi, resigned as Demon Queen back to the current Demon King.

On one hand, knowing Gwendal as he did, Yuri would not put it passed his Commander-in-Chief to prioritize this paperwork by his own standards, which was not always a good thing. So in that way, it was a good thing that Yuri finally had a chance to go through everything and decide what was given precedence without the others breathing down his neck.

But of course, there was a down side.

Yuri used to complain before about how much work he had as the Demon King even though he was still just a kid and a newbie King at that. He had had hardly any time to spend with his fiancé and their daughter let alone get a full night’s sleep, but now Yuri did not have time to scratch his nose.

If Yuri was not settling some stupid dispute over the littlest, most idiotic thing, he was stopping some band of misfits from causing some sort of destruction in his kingdom--whether they were human or Demon.

Or he was granting requests from people who wanted to change their names legally, or who wanted to start up a new business. There were people like Ewald Probst who wanted to erect a marble statue in the center of town of the new Demon King. Yuri even spent one day a week just denying the countless marriage proposals he got. Of course, he told Wolfram nothing of these. Yuri had even denied requests from Lady Von Karbelnikoff to use him as a guinea pig. Though, he had granted her request to use Gwendal, which was--Yuri suspected--the main reason behind why the Commander-in-Chief was currently not speaking to His Majesty. It did not bother Yuri in the least though. It served the elder Demon right for dumping everything onto the shoulders of an eighteen-year-old.

If that was not enough, he still had lessons with Günter. They were never-ending. It was mostly because Günter knew nothing about how to effectively teach. Wolfram called him a wimp, but Günter droned on and on and on. Yuri suspected that his tutor just liked to hear the sound of his own voice. Having lessons with Greta helped a little bit, but Yuri stilled prayed that the Great One would strike him down so that he would not have to endure anymore.

And of course, he was forced to play nice with a one stuffy aristocrat or other almost every day. If it was someone like Lady Flynn or Mr. Heathcrife, then he had no qualms, but the others were a different matter.

Flopping bonelessly back in a chair that reminded Yuri of a French, Louis XIV style fauteuils a la Reine that he had seen at a flea market he had gone to with his mother not too long ago. It was made of some wood he did not know the name of, had a high, arched back, and scrolled arms. Did he forget to mention that the chair he was sitting in had to be older than the one it reminded him of? The seat cushion had long since disintegrated into dust leaving him with a sore, dead ass. And the fabric, which he was certain had been either an obsidian or a royal purple was now dull and grey and beginning to fray. The arms of the chair were chipped.

He was the King for the love of the Great One. Why was he being forced to suffer like this?

He would have to have a serious talk with Gwendal and Günter about dividing up all this work to more able-bodied people. Surely, there were other people more qualified to handle some of this stuff?

Yuri scrubbed his tired, achy eyes and wished he could just go back to bed. Hell, he would rather be in school.  
  
Dropping his hands, he leaned his head back against the top of the chair. He stared unblinkingly up at the vaulted ceiling high above him.

That was right. If he were still going to school back in Japan, he would be graduating fairly soon. What he would not give to have such a dull, humdrum life.

 

* * *

 

Wolfram flattened himself against the wall. He could feel the iciness of the stone façade through the thick fabric of his blue uniform. Bright emerald eyes peered around the corner. Deserted. Good. No Günter and especially no Gwendal. Though, there were two guards standing at attention outside the Demon King’s study. Their stiff black uniforms indicated that they were part of the Demon King’s elite personal guards that never left His Majesty’s side for any reason. It had taken Yuri some time to get used to them. He still was not completely comfortable. But the guards indicated that Yuri was in his office. Good.

Pushing away from the wall, Wolfram straightened his uniform. He ran his finger through his hair. Clearing his throat, he stepped around the corner.

The guards took notice of him immediately. Wolfram would expect nothing less from men given the responsibility of protecting the King.

“Your Highness,” they greeted formally. The spears they each held, which were taller then the men themselves, were pulled tightly against their bodies. They seemed to stand a little straighter.

“You never saw me,” he told them as he reached for the golden handles.

They were used to this routine by now. “Never saw whom sir?”

Pleased, Wolfram nodded.

 

* * *

 

Sometimes, Yuri wished he had not agreed to become Demon King. He shook those thoughts aside. He had to admit that it was not all bad.

Yuri raised his weary head as the heavy double doors swung open.

“So this is where you have been hiding,” snapped the accusation.

Speaking of which.

Yuri fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I have not been hiding, Wolfram.” He righted himself and watched his fiery blond haired, emerald-eyed lover stride into the study. Yuri admired how Wolfram’s blue uniform fit him in all the right places.

“Could have fooled me. You wimp,” Wolfram added for good measure as he shut the doors behind him.

A smile chased away the shadows that had been deepening across Yuri’s face. The heavy weight of depression that had been slowly beginning to crush him lifted. What had started out as an insult when they first met had slowly grown into an endearment. Having been working since breakfast early this morning with just a little break for lunch, Yuri decided to give himself a long overdue break. He was King after all.

“Speaking of hiding,” Yuri said as he watched Wolfram saunter towards him. “His Highness isn’t going to be accused of dereliction of his duties is he?”

Wolfram slid himself into Yuri’s lap and clasped his arms around his fiancé’s neck.

Yuri clasped Wolfram’s hips lightly.

“You know, Yuri, unlike some people, I for one am not a wimp.”

“So is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?”

Wolfram glared at him.

Yuri gave him an innocent look back.

“Wimp,” Wolfram snorted.

“Brat.”

Wolfram’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Brat, huh?” A devilish grin slid across Wolfram’s face.

Yuri gulped. A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Wolfram slid off Yuri’s lap and placing his hands on Yuri’s knees, he knelt between his younger fiancé's spread legs.

Despite having broken out into a cold nervous sweat, the young Demon King found himself quickly growing hard in anticipation. He licked lips gone dry.

The belt quickly done away with, Wolfram unfastened the clasp of Yuri’s black uniform pants and then almost torturingly slow pulled the zipper down.

Yuri had never been so turned on and so terrified at the same time. God, how he loved this man.

 

* * *

 

“Now, clam down, Gwendal. They are affianced after all. They have been for the past three years. You knew this was bound to happen eventually.”

“Yes, but I expected them to be properly married first,” Gwendal snapped.

Conrart regretted having said anything.

“They are engaged. You know as well as I do, Conrart, that this type of-of tawdry behavior is frowned upon among people of His Majesty and Wolfram’s standing before the bonds of matrimony are made.”

The half-demon sighed. It looked like Gwendal was beginning to show his age, but nevertheless, he was right. This was one of the reasons why Conrart was glad he was not part of the aristocracy. “And what about Lord Griesela?” he asked his older brother. He was referring to Gwendal’s cousin who had married and had a child with the human Nicola.

“That is different.”

“How?”

Gwendal remained stubbornly silent.

“Because Hube is not your little brother?” Conrart supplied softly.

A flush warmed its way up the older Demon’s face.

“Gwendal, I know how protective you are of Wolfram, but he is not a child anymore.”

Wolfram may not technically be a child, but he was still too young to be having…

A mixture of emotions warred within Gwendal.

…“relations” of this nature. Especially with him being His Majesty Yuri’s fiancé. Wolfram had a certain level of decorum he had to abide by. It was up to Wolfram and His Majesty to set a fine example for the people of the Great Demon Kingdom.

Gwendal sighed. But maybe he was reading too much into this. Conrart was right. Wolfram was not a child anymore. Though at times Wolfram may act childishly for he let his emotions override his common sense, Wolfram had proven repeatedly that he could be trusted with the welfare and care of not only His Majesty, but also their Human daughter Greta who was now thirteen-years-old.

Of course, how was one supposed to act when being told that the relationship between one’s baby brother and his accidental fiancé had progressed to such a level?

It was not that Gwendal did not trust His Majesty Yuri. Yuri was a fine outstanding King. He had saved them more times than Gwendal cared to admit, but they were talking about his baby brother here. Gwendal trusted no one. Not even his King.

What he needed was some time to digest this latest bit of news.

“Alright,” Gwendal growled. He rubbed his temple as a migraine made itself known. He needed a vacation.

For some reason, that did not put Conrart at ease, but he inclined his head slightly in gratitude. As he turned to leave, Conrart left his brother with a little warning. “Don’t push this, Gwendal. You will not like the outcome.”

Gwendal watched as Conrart vanished within the shadows of Covenant Castle with a thoughtful expression. What had he meant by that? A flash of white caught his attention. “Günter,” he called.

The self-appointed advisor to the King looked around and when he caught sight of Gwendal, he immediately changed course and headed straight for him. “Aah, Gwendal.”

“Günter have you seen Wolfram?”

“Little Lord Brat? No I have not.” Günter made a face. “He suddenly disappeared when I told him he had an appointment with the seamstress.”

Gwendal sighed heavily. It looks like His Majesty was becoming a very bad influence over his littlest brother. “Find him,” he ordered. “Tell him I need to speak with him.”

Günter raised an eyebrow. He wanted to press the issue but the look on Gwendal’s face gave him heed. “Alright,” he nodded.

Gwendal turned from the man and vanished into the dim corridors of the castle. His long dark grey tresses swung sharply down his back.

“Oh my,” Günter sighed. He wondered what the young spoiled lord did now.

 

* * *

 

Yuri’s heart was beating so loudly it was a wonder that the guards stationed outside the study had not come inside to see what was going on.

Panting heavily, his fingernails clawed the desktop as he clenched his hands into fists.

Biting his lip, he swallowed back the wanton moans that were clawing up his throat.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head. His lids fluttered closed over onyx eyes that had a glazed, faraway look to them.

Stray strands of his silken, shoulder length jet-black tresses that had escaped from their secured hold at the nape of his neck were plastered to the sides of his neck by sweat.

His mouth flung open with a soundless gasp. His guards should have some idea about what went on behind closed doors when Wolfram stopped by by now, but they would not be doing their jobs if they did not rush to the aide of His Majesty when they heard strange noises. But not only would it seriously kill the mood, both Wolfram and he would die of embarrassment if someone were to barge in on them.

Yuri tossed his head back and arched into the hot mouth. He tangled one of his hands into his fiancé’s golden curls.

By the Great One. He was being driven insane. Wolfram’s hot mouth. His talented tongue. Those magical fingers.

“Oh, gods, Wolf,” he panted. He was close. So close. “Almost. Almost. Almo-”

The doors suddenly burst open. They slammed into the bookcases that lined the walls with twin angry crashes. “Your Majesty,” cried the accompanying familiar voice.

Yuri jumped with a startled yelp. His eyes flew open.

A choked cry came from underneath the desk followed by a muffled thud and a hiss. A line of colorful profanities floated out from underneath the desk.

Looking down at himself, Yuri’s face grew warm. He hurriedly fixed himself as his advisor and tutor hurried into the study in a sweep of white and lavender. His saw his guards who were stationed at the doors give him an apologetic look before returning to their posts. After his fifth try of fumbling with the hook of his pants, he felt slender fingers roughened by years of sword practice push his hands away.

Onyx met emerald.

Yuri gave his fiancé a grateful smile.

Wolfram gave him a devilish look that said, “You owe me.”

Yuri gulped and felt his cock twitch.

Seeming to know what affect he had on his King, Wolfram brushed his hands over Yuri who had softened in the commotion.

Not that he was not enjoying the attention; Yuri knocked Wolfram’s roving hands away before they became too carried away.

Not noticing anything amiss, Günter rushed into the study. “Your Majesty, have you seen His Highness?”

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Yuri froze. His eye grew wide. His face felt like it was on fire. He had completely forgotten that Günter was in the room with them. “Uh, uhm, that is, I mean…,” Yuri stuttered over a rapidly beating heart.

“Your Majesty,” Günter gasped. Amethyst eyes went wide. “Your face is red!”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah. Yeah. It-it’s nothing. Really! I’m fine. Fine!” Yuri gave a nervous laugh as he waved Günter’s concerns aside.

“Wimp,” came the muffled whisper from beneath the desk.

Yuri gave the voice a swift kick.

“Ow!”

Yuri smirked. He would most likely pay later for that, though.

Focusing all of his attention on Yuri, Günter seemed to, thankfully, miss the yelp of pain that had emanated from the desk. “Oh dear, Your Majesty! Are you sure? Should I call Gisela? You could be catching a cold!”

“No,” Yuri yelled. He coughed and tried to calm himself down when Günter gave him a startled look. “I, uh, mean no. Günter. But thanks anyway.” He laughed nervously. “It’s just, uh, really stuffy in here.” To demonstrate, he pulled at the collar of his jacket. Actually, he was beginning to feel a bit warm.

“Oh!” Relieved that Yuri was not coming down with something, Günter started to make his way towards the windows with an ecstatic expression on his face. “Well then. Why don’t I just-?”

“No!”

Günter gave him another startled look.

“I, uh, mean, well…,” he stammered. Yuri took a deep breath and tried to gather himself. “Was there a reason you were looking for Wolfram?” he asked.

Günter looked blank for a moment before remembering the reason why he had come in search of Yuri. “Aah, yes! Gwendal is looking for him.”

Yuri went white. “G-Gwendal?” he squeaked. He exchanged a panicked look with Wolfram hidden underneath the desk.

“Yes.”

“W-why w-would…?”

It was not that Yuri was ashamed of his relationship with Wolfram. Just the opposite. In fact, he has never been happier. He wanted to stand at the highest point in the castle and share this happiness with the rest of the world. But it was all still so new. Wolfram was his first in every way. Because it had taken him so long to accept the fact that he was indeed attracted to boys, that he was gay, there was a part of him was still a little self-conscious. He was not completely comfortable with the idea of “coming out”. Not yet.

Not only that, but if Gwendal were to ever find out that Yuri was having premarital relations with Wolfram, Demon King or not, Gwendal would have Yuri’s balls on a platter with barbecue sauce and Wolfram would be locked up in the North Tower with a chastity belt.

Yuri shuddered. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Just yesterday, Wolfram had been all up in arms about having a hickey visible for the whole kingdom to see. To Wolfram, their sex life was nobody’s business. It was not something up for public display. Furthermore, if the men under his command saw “it”, Wolfram was afraid they would not take him seriously as a Commander. He was also a little apprehensive about what would happen when his big brother finds out. Other then that little phobia, Wolfram did not care who knew about their relationship.

Yuri knew he was a walking contradiction. He was only human after all. Well, he corrected himself, half-human. For while Yuri had not had a problem with the hickey, in fact he had felt a barbaric sense of pride over the fact that he had marqued his fiancé, there was that insecurity. It was the same hindrance that had kept him from admitting his true feelings for Wolfram.

Besides, when it finally leaked that he returned Wolfram’s feelings, the entire kingdom, including both of their parents, would start planning their wedding. As much as Yuri loved Wolfram and even though he planned to spend the rest of his life with the fiery blond Demon, he had no plans of getting married any time soon. He was only eighteen. Technically, he was still just a high school student.

“-jesty? Your Majesty?”

“Huh?” Yuri blinked. “Oh!” He blushed. “Uhm…did you say something, Günter?”

Günter frowned. “Are you sure you are alright, Your Majesty?”

“Fine! Fine! I’ll, uh, be sure to tell Wolfram you are looking for him.” Yuri forced a smile on his face all the while his heart was beating a millions miles a second and his uniform was glued to his body by the buckets of sweat he was shedding.

“Oh. Okay.” Looking uncertain and disappointed at being dismissed, Günter quietly left the study, making sure to close the doors behind him.

Yuri sagged down into the chair in relief as he waited for his heart rate to return to normal.

Wolfram crawled out from underneath the desk.

“Sorry, Wolf,” Yuri sighed.

Wolfram opened his mouth to retort, but for the second time that day, the study doors were flung open. They crashed once again into the bookcases with solid thuds.

Startled, Yuri jumped with a yelp.

An avalanche of books toppled to the floor as the doors swung back. Gwendal stormed into the study and grabbed the doors before they could smash into him.

Onyx eyes going wide, Yuri broke out in a nervous sweat. Uh, oh, he thought with a wish that he were somewhere else.

Bright emerald eyes went wide. “Big brother,” Wolfram stuttered.

Gwendal’s gaze went from his baby brother to the Demon King. He narrowed his gaze dangerously.

But before he could utter a single word, Lady Celi rushed into the study with a flourish and practically spilling out of her black gown. “I heard! Oh! My little Wolfie!” She grabbed Wolfram and smothered him against her breasts. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Mother,” Wolfram protested. His face was turning a deep crimson.

Yuri was not sure if Wolfram was just embarrassed by his mother’s version of public displays of affection or if Wolfram was being choked to death. He opted for the latter.

The sound of chuckling drew everybody’s attention.

“Conrad,” Yuri greeted as his brown haired godfather stepped into the study.

“Mother is just excited,” Conrart explained.

Lady Celi released Wolfram and clasped her hands together. “I thought this day would never come!”

Coughing, Wolfram stepped away from his mother and tried to relearn how to breathe.

“She must have overheard when I was speaking with Gwendal earlier.”

Yuri gazed at the man who named him in confusion. “Conrad?” What was going on?

“We must plan the wedding at once,” Lady Celi gushed.

Both Yuri and Wolfram turned towards the ex-Demon Queen. “What?!”

“Now look here Mother,” Wolfram objected.

“Now Wolfram,” Lady Celi huffed.

Suddenly understanding, Yuri dropped down in the chair with a cry and hung his head in his hands. Why did these things always happen to him?

 

**…To Be Continued…**

 

 


	2. Yuri's Proposal

**Wolfram’s Bruise**  
 **Uniting As One series**  
 **Crossover:** Gravitation, Only The Ring finger Knows  
 **Written by:** chochowilliams  
 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.  
 **Summary:** An errand leads to much more.  
 **Warning:** Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Language, M/M Sexual Situation, Anal, M-Preg  
 **Pairings:** Yuri/Wolfram  
 **Inserts:** Recap from chapter 1, “Why Me?” by Robby Syruws, David Kirk’s Nova The Robot: Nova’s Ark  
 **A/N:** Enjoy!

 

* * *

 

**Last Time**

_Lady Celi released Wolfram and clasped her hands together. “I thought this day would never come!”_

_Coughing, Wolfram stepped away from his mother and tried to relearn how to breathe._

_“She must have overheard when I was speaking with Gwendal earlier.”_

_Yuri gazed at the man who named him in confusion. “Conrad?” What was going on?_

_“We must plan the wedding at once,” Lady Celi gushed._

_Both Yuri and Wolfram turned towards the ex-Demon Queen. “What?!”_

_“Now look here Mother,” Wolfram objected._

_“Now Wolfram,” Lady Celi huffed._

_Suddenly understanding, Yuri dropped down in the chair with a cry and hung his head in his hands. Why did these things always happen to him?_

 

* * *

 

**Chapter 2**

**The Next Day -- Tokyo, Japan**

Okay. Now he was officially lost.

“Damn,” he muttered to himself. “Maybe I should have let Murata come with me when he asked. He’s better at directions than I am.”

Yuri Shibuya quickly shook that thought aside.

What the hell was he thinking? Murata was the last person he would have wanted to come with him today. Or would that have been his mother? Either way, the young Demon King was just glad that both had been too busy with other things to pester him. Well, more accurately, Murata had come back to Earth with him because he had his cousin twice removed’s wedding, or something. And Yuri’s mother had not been home when they arrived.

Yuri glanced from the scrap of paper that he had torn from Shori’s school notebook in his hand to the buildings that surrounded him. He ran his fingers through his hair in confusion. He knew it was around here somewhere. It had to be. It was the right street. The problem was that none of the buildings had addresses. Or at least none that were visible.

“Damn! This sucks.”

“Kazuki,” scolded a voice from behind him. “That was uncalled for!”

Yuri’s head snapped around. Coming towards him were two boys. The taller of the two, whom Yuri assumed was this “Kazuki”, was smirking. His eyes were gleaming devilishly. They reminded him of Wolfram’s when the Demon Prince was trying (and succeeding) in seducing Yuri.

The shorter of the two, the one who was shouting angrily, looked flustered. His ruby red Tee was half pulled out of a pair of dark denim jeans. There were worn-in patches across the right knee. The boy’s disheveled dark hair shone brilliantly in the light. He had large dark eyes that scowled up at the other boy, but they did not look angry even though his tone suggested otherwise. As the boy fixed his white zipper-up hoodie, Yuri saw the sun glint off something on his right ring finger.

Kazuki with his right hand tucked into the front pocket of his worn-in looking jeans and his scuffed up sneakers and black graphic Tee that was pulled over a white long sleeved shirt, looked as if he had just stepped out of an ad for some designer store.

Yuri smirked at the sight of his cousin’s band, Bad Luck, embroidered in white above the silhouette of the lead singer’s face across the guy’s chest. He would have to tell Shuichi next time he saw him. He always got a kick out of things like this.

“Don’t complain Wataru,” Kazuki replied calmly. He did not look the least bit fazed. In fact, if anything, he appeared happy now that Wataru was upset. “You never said no.”

“Th-that’s not the point,” Wataru shouted back. His face was bright red.

Yuri smiled nostalgically and wondered. “Excuse me,” he called out to them.

The one called Kazuki turned curious eyes towards him. “Yes?”

Drawing a sharp breath, Wataru stared wide-eyed at the guy who had spoken, as if hypnotized.

In a pair of loose and baggy tan khakis, a white graphic Tee that stretched across a wide, toned chest underneath a white cargo blazer that outlined broad shoulders and sneakers so white they had to be brand new, this guy was nearly as tall as Kazuki with the blackest black hair Wataru had ever seen that fell nearly to the guy’s shoulder blades. Dark piercing eyes roamed over the two of them, as if assessing them. Wataru had a feeling that this guy missed nothing.

“I am looking for…” Yuri glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand. “I’m looking for a store called ‘Parfait’? They make custom made jewelry?”

His voice was deep and commanding.

“I-it’s just…down the street,” Wataru answered shyly, pointing over his shoulder.

Kazuki turned sharply to Wataru. He eyes than narrowed at the guy before him.

Yuri smiled kindly at Wataru. “Thank you.” He inclined his head in gratitude before vanishing among the thick cluster of people that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

“Are you planning on standing there all day?”

The sound of Yuichi’s voice shook Wataru out of his stupor. Wataru shook himself, as if awakening from a deep slumber. “Wait up, Kazuki,” he called out to his boyfriend.

“You’re drooling,” was what Kazuki said as soon as Wataru had caught up to him.

 

* * *

 

**Parfait -- Tokyo, Japan**

There was a tinkling of bells as Yuri pushed open the door to the jewelry shop.

“I’ll be right with you,” called the voice from the back of the shop.

“Take your time,” Yuri called back. He was not in any hurry.

Yuri glanced around the shop. It was rather small, but very quaint. He liked the place instantly.

He moved to the display shelves.

There was a wide range of jewelry the store sold he noticed. Everything from necklaces, bracelets, rings, anklets, cuffs, cuff links, chokers and collars to earrings, toe rings, watches, pendants, pins, and charms.

There was a variety of different settings, gemstones, beadwork, metals, patterns, shanks, styles, filigrees, finishes and engravings.

There were rings and bracelets made from spoons.

Beautiful diamond rings.

Studded leather wrist cuffs.

Multi-colored beaded string necklaces with matching bracelet. Some of them had pendants.

A gold pendant with an engraved picture of Buddha on a chain.

“Hello,” came a polite female voice. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright,” Yuri replied as he turned from a blue crystal teardrop with a strand of white ivy with flower buds engraved across it. It was similar to the one he wore.

He blinked, slightly taken back as he saw the sales woman was nothing more than a girl who appeared to be younger than he was.

“I’m Karin. What can I do for you today?”

Yuri found her oddly enchanting. Her black hair fell to just below her shoulders and was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Stray strands framed her face. Her large dark eyes watched him patiently. Her clothes consisted of a white blouse and pinstriped black suit pants that gave her a professional appearance. But there was something oddly familiar about her.

A picture of Wataru flashed through his head.

Ah! So that was what it was.

CHEATER!

Yuri felt his face pale as he heard Wolfram’s voice sharp and clear in his head.

“Are you alright?”

Shaking his head, Yuri smiled pleasantly at the girl. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine. I heard you make custom made jewelry?”

“Yes, that’s right. Was there something you wanted to have made?”

“Yes.” Yuri pulled out a red folder from the messenger bag he had strapped across his chest. From the folder, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her.

Karin gave the crude drawing a quick once over. “Hm. Let’s have a seat over here,” she suggested.

They made their way over to a two-seater bistro table in the far corner near the front window that was displaying several beautiful pieces on headless busts.

Yuri lifted the strap over his head and set his bag on the floor at his feet as he sat down.

Karin set the drawing on the table in front of her and smiled at Yuri. “So, what exactly can I do for you?”

 

* * *

 

“Okay,” Karin said a short time later as she ripped the invoice from the printer that was under the counter. She gave it a once over as she made her way back to where Yuri was waiting to make sure everything was in order. Setting the sheet on the counter, she grabbed a pen and marked the invoice in three spots. “I need you to sign here, here and initial here,” she told him.

Yuri took the pen she offered and signed the spots she had indicated. It was not until he was finished that he realized what he had done. Yuri had spent the last what would be the equivalent of three years here on Earth singing papers practically from the moment he woke up to the time he went to bed--if he was lucky--and they were always signed the same way.

Shibuya Yuri Harujuku Furi.

He felt his face flush with embarrassment, but quickly shook it off. Nothing he could do about it now without drawing unnecessary attention to it.

“Alright,” Karin muttered.

If she noticed anything odd about his signature then she said nothing, for which Yuri was extremely grateful.

Karin ripped the edges off both sides of the invoice and tossed them into the wastepaper basket under the counter by her feet. What had been one sheet were now suddenly three. The top sheet was white, the middle was yellow and the bottom one was green. She grabbed the top sheet and handed it to Yuri with a smile. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

“Now. Like I said, it will take up to five days to have a sketch ready for your approval.”

“Right.”

“At that point, we will be able to give you a more accurate estimate of the cost and after your approval, we will proceed. Or if there is something you do not particularly like about the sketch, we can work on a new sketch for you.”

Yuri nodded. “Alright.”

“Now, when we get the go ahead, we will require a fifty percent down payment.”

“Right.”

“We accept all major credit cards, checks, wire transfers or money orders. We do not accept cash for orders over two hundred thousand yen.”

“Okay.” There was no way Yuri would be stupid enough to walk around with that much money anyway. Anybody that dumb was just asking for trouble. “So, now, how long will it take to complete?”

“About three to four weeks after the approval of the sketch. Depending.”

“Sounds good.”

“Alright? Then we will be seeing you in about a week?”

“Sure. See you then,” he said with a wink.

A rosy tint colored Karin’s face.

YOU NO-GOOD TWO TIMING CHEATER WIMP!

Yuri ignored Wolfram’s voice screaming bloody murder in his head (he got enough of that back home) or tried to anyway. But by all that was holy! How in the name of the Great One had he fallen in love with Little Lord Brat? Wolfram’s annoying possessiveness grated on Yuri’s nerves even when his fiancé was not with him. Yuri felt the beginnings of a headache coming on.

Fixing the strap of his messenger bag, Yuri inclined his head at Karin and turned to leave. But when his gaze swept over the pendant he had been looking at earlier, Yuri paused. His forehead creased in thought.

oOo

After stapling the crude drawing to the store copy of the invoice, Karin set the stapler back under the counter.  
  
“Excuse me.”

Startled, Karin looked over her shoulder and smiled when she spied Yuri.

“I would like to purchase this, if I could.”

Karin glanced at the deep blue teardrop shaped pendant Yuri held out towards her with a smile. “Of course!”

 

* * *

 

Karin sighed heavily as she watched the raven-haired god vanish out of Parfait with a flourish of bells.

_“For your girlfriend?”_ she had inquired politely. She had been waiting anxiously, hoping against hope that he would say no.

Yuri had laughed and shook his head, his dark eyes had sparkled in amusement.

She had mentally squealed.

_“If I had a girlfriend, my fiancé would have my head on a platter.”_

Karin groaned. Why were the good ones always taken?

_“No, this is for my daughter.”_

Daughter! Can you believe it? This guy looked not much older than her brother Wataru did and not only did he have a fiancée but a daughter! Life was so not fair.

Taking the invoice, she rounded the counter and vanished into the back room to begin on the pieces Yuri had ordered, all the while wondering what horrible crime she committed in a past life to receive such unjust punishment.

 

* * *

 

**That Evening -- Shibuya Residence -- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**

The sun was slipping behind the horizon when the sound of jangling keys was heard. Moments later, the front door to the Shibuya house was thrown open.

“Yu-chan,” Miko Shibuya, otherwise known as Jennifer called as she stepped into the house. “Sho-chan! We’re home!”

Shoma stepped into the foyer behind his wife with a heavy sigh. He set the armload of green cloth bags down and shut the door behind him. “Now, Honey, Shori has his own apartment, remember?” he reminded his wife in a clam clear voice, similar to how one would speak to a child. Sometimes, it was the only way to get her to understand. “And Yuri is-”

Jennifer waved her husband’s words aside, giving them no heed as she gave a tired sigh of her own as her greeting was met with silence. It just was not fair. Both of her boys had no time for their mama anymore. Shori as the Demon King of the Earth and Yuri was the Demon King of the Great Demon Kingdom. Her little Yu-chan was even engaged to be married and had a precious little girl of his own that she hardly ever saw. Boys were just no fun. They grew up too fast and then abandoned their mama. She was absolutely certain that if she had had a girl, things would be much different.

“Don’t worry, Honey. You always have me.” Shoma grinned broadly.

Feeling even more depressed, Jennifer moved sluggishly into the kitchen after removing her shoes and slipping into her house slippers without saying anything.

Quickly grabbing the grocery bags, Shoma followed his wife into the house. “Honey? Jennifer?”

 

* * *

 

**Same Time -- Covenant Castle -- The Great Demon Kingdom**

Sitting upon a straight-backed chair, Wolfram’s voice boomed through the open basilica-like room. The wall-to-wall floor to ceiling windows that surrounded him on three sides had been cleaned so thoroughly by Sangria, Doria, Lasagnia and the new girl Effie that they squeaked, allowing the midmorning sun to pour through. The entire room gleamed majestically.

“Nova built many animals from pieces of his ship. He modeled them after those in his ancient wooden ark. Nova had a good eye for detail, but he couldn’t always remember which animal was supposed to be bigger – ‘Was a mouse bigger than a moose?’” (1)

With extra paper, a bottle of ink, her favorite black feathered quill given to her by her fathers for her last birthday, a backup one just in case and a dictionary spread out before her, Greta sat at the table in the sunroom working on her vocabulary assignment. “Hey, Wolfram,” she spoke up.

“Huh? Yes, Greta?”

“What are a…‘mouse’ and a…‘moose’?”

The prince’s forehead creased in thought. “…Hm. That is a good question.” Frankly, he had no idea. Wolfram shrugged. “They’re probably some strange creatures from where Yuri is from. We will have to ask him when he returns.”

At the mention of her father, Greta’s face fell. Her quill slipped out of her grasp. She slumped down in her chair and hung her head. Her mop of copper hair hung over face, veiling her expression.

Wolfram became concerned for his daughter. He shut the book and standing up, placed the book on the chair. “Greta? What is the matter? Are you not feeling well? Should I get Gisela?”

Greta shook her head.

Wolfram’s brows dropped. “Then-?”

“…Wolfram?” Greta’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“What is it?” Wolfram asked gently.

“Are you mad at me?”

Wolfram went still. His eyebrows shot up into his hair.

Greta lifted her head and glanced through her bangs with chocolate eyes shimmering behind unshed tears. “I was the one who told Conrad about seeing that mark on your neck and he went and told Gwendal and now Gwendal is angry at Yuri and Lady Celi is pushing for a wedding, which I think would be so cool if you and Yuri finally got married because Yuri said that I could be in it, but I know you and Yuri don’t want to get married yet and-”

Wolfram merely smiled gently at his adopted daughter.

A stray tear slid down Greta’s cheek.

Crossing the room, Wolfram rounded the table to Greta’s side. He turned the chair she was sitting in so that they were face to face. Wolfram knelt before her. Cupping her face with one hand, he reached out with the other and brushed away her tears with his thumb. He told her confidently, “Your father and I could never hate you.”

“Really?”

Wolfram nodded. “We both love you very much.”

“But-?”

With a reassuring smile on his face, Wolfram shook his head. “You could be the Bloody Widower and we would still love you,” he told her.

The Bloody Widower was one of the Great Demon Kingdom’s most notorious mass murderers. The man made no distinction between human, demon or half-breed; male, female or transsexual; child, adult or senior citizen. It did not matter to him if you were pregnant or a cripple. You could be two minutes old or 200 years old. It mattered not to him. As long as there was blood flowing through your veins. The man had had no conscience. At his trial, his mother had pleaded for the court to spare his life, saying that he was “a good boy”.

Greta’s cheeks colored at the compliment, but her eyes still held a tinge of doubt.

Wolfram silently cursed Yuri for disappearing from the study like the wimp that he was instead of dealing with the consequences of their love affair suddenly being made public. It was not as if either of them was ashamed. No, the problem was a very disgruntled Lord Gwendal Von Voltaire, a just as equally unhappy Lord Günter Von Christ and an over enthusiastic Lady Cecilie Von Spitzweg. Lord Weller did not seem to have an opinion on the matter, which suited Wolfram just fine.

Wolfram could say one thing about his fiancé's exit. It had given Wolfram the opportunity to quickly and quietly slip out himself.

And now here he was hiding out in his own castle as if he were a wanted felon.

Both Yuri and Wolfram knew that for people of their standing, anything more than a chaste peck on the cheek was considered taboo. Even that enlisted whispers hidden behind cupped hands. It was amazing that Wolfram had been able to get away with sleeping in Yuri’s bed for as long as he had. Not that he had ever cared one way or another what anybody thought, including Yuri. It was true that Günter had frowned upon it, but he was bias. The perverted King’s Aide was in love with His Majesty. Wolfram’s big brother and Conrart had never said anything about it. Mostly because they believed up until a few short hours ago, that Yuri and he had a platonic relationship.

Wolfram snorted. And people said Yuri was naïve.

Platonic? Please! Yuri and he had not had an “innocent” relationship for quite some time. Where have these people been living? Under a rock?

Yuri stopped protesting Wolfram’s habit of sleeping in his bed ages ago. In fact, Yuri claimed he found it difficult to sleep if Wolfram was not sleeping besides him. Not even having Greta sleep with him could make up for Wolfram’s absence.

Yuri did not freak out at the sight of Wolfram’s girlie pink nightgown anymore either. In fact, Yuri himself said he thought Wolfram looked nice in the color. Besides, Yuri told him that up until recently, in his world, both men and women used to wear nightdresses to bed.

What about when they all believed that with the Great One gone, Yuri would not be able to travel back and forth between Earth and The Great Demon Kingdom anymore? Why did they think Yuri even made the decision to go back to Earth in the first place? Let alone run into the portal without even once looking back. Then of course, there was the obvious fact that Yuri had returned.

A couple years ago at Yuri’s Coming of Age ceremony, when Wolfram had broken their engagement and fled for the Bielefelt territory, Yuri had come after him. He had traveled all the way from Covenant Castle just to bring Wolfram back home where he belonged. Where their first duel had been just as much an accident as their engagement had been, their next duel at Bielefelt Castle had not been. Yuri picked up that knife with full knowledge of what he was doing.

Yuri and he loved one another and were engaged to be married. Everyone should just be glad that Yuri even returned Wolfram’s affection.

So what if they shared more than just a platonic relationship? What business is it of anyone’s? If Yuri were not who he was and Wolfram who he was, nobody would care. This would not even be an issue.

Suddenly, Wolfram stiffened. The back of his neck prickled. His hand automatically went for his sword. He cursed when he remembered that he had replaced it in the armory besides Yuri’s after morning drills.

He was looking around for something he could use as a weapon when Greta squealed.

“Yuri!”

Wolfram’s head shot up and around.

Greta shot up out of her chair and raced around the table. Her slippered feet barely touched the travertine tiled floor as she darted across the sunroom.

There standing with the wall of windows at his back stood Yuri. If there had not been tiny pools of water surrounding the double black Demon King, one would come to the conclusion that the monarch had appeared out of thin air, which was essentially, what Yuri did.

It had been explained to them by Murata some time ago that even though Yuri could control all of the elements, his core element was water. That was why Yuri traveled back and forth between the worlds through water. Since Yuri was now in control of his sojourns, Murata began to theorize that Yuri did not need a large body of water to be able to travel back and forth. It had taken much practice before he was able to perfect it, but now Yuri was able to pull the water molecules out of the very air around him, much like how he formed his water dragons, and open a portal that way.

Along the way, Yuri was able to master the remaining elements as well. Because his chief element was water, it had been a little difficult to perfect the fire element, but eventually, Yuri was able to control it. He still had yet to master it, but he had enough command to put Wolfram to shame. Of course, Wolfram would never admit it.

Wolfram felt his heart give a little flutter in his chest as a heavenly aura caused by the early evening sun shinning through the windows encircled his King.

Except for the innocent twinkle in his jet eyes, Yuri no longer looked like the Yuri Wolfram had fallen in love with on that day several years ago. As Yuri learned to master his powers, he and the other presence within him had slowly begun to merge. He was no longer Yuri, but neither was he the Demon King. He was something else all together with the innocence and pacification that made Yuri Yuri and the angry, hot temperedness that had been the Demon King. Even though the two sides of Yuri’s personality had been extreme opposites, they both meshed well in this new form.

Yuri crouched down and held out his arms as Greta flung herself at him. The impact sent him reeling to the floor.

Standing, Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest and watched father and daughter giggling in a mass of limbs.

“Yuri, you aren’t wet,” Greta noticed as she sat back.

Wolfram took Yuri’s appearance in for the first time and realized that Greta was right.

It was a technique Wolfram taught Yuri just recently. Instead of arriving dripping wet and taking the risk of catching a cold or something worse, Yuri could dry himself off just as easily as he could travel back and forth between the worlds. All he had to do was call upon his fire element and wrap its flames around him like a cloak. Demons that could control the fire were able to use it without running the risk of it harming them. Yuri called this technique similar to using a “blow dryer”. Whatever that was (2).

“Wimp,” he accused as he crossed the room towards his fiancé and their daughter.

“Hey, Wolfram,” Yuri chuckled from his position on the floor.

“And what, pray tell, took you so long? You better not have been flirting with some pretentious tramps,” he warned as he pulled Yuri to his feet.

Yuri had learned a long time ago to ignore Wolfram, but not this time. “Actually, I was,” he admitted. He winked at Greta.

Greta stifled a giggle behind her hand.

“WHAT?!”

Well, there goes the hearing in that ear, Yuri thought with a wince.

Chuckling lightly, Yuri reached inside the pocket of his white cargo blazer. His hand clamped around a small box that he had placed inside of a freezer bag he stole from his mother in order to keep the contents dry during the journey back to Covenant Castle.

“YOU DOUBLE-CROSSING, FAITHLESS, ADULTEROUS WIMP!”

Wolfram’s face had gone through several shades of red by this point.

Yuri was afraid that his fiancé would have an aneurysm.

“Yup. I was sidetracked by a beautiful young lady with large eyes and fiery copper hair and cocoa butter skin…”

Wolfram fisted his hands.

“So, I decided to buy this precious young woman a gift.”

Greta’s eyes sparkled. She clapped her hands together and jumped up and down gaily. “Really?” She squealed.  
  
Growling, Wolfram’s fists burst into flames. “Who is this hussy?” he demanded. “I’ll rip her head from her body!”

Ignoring his hotheaded fiancé, Yuri pulled out the small white box. Removing it from its clear plastic wrappings, he strode over to his daughter and handed the box to her.

Wolfram’s mind went blank. The flames engulfing his fists sputtered and died.

Yuri chuckled at the confused expression on Wolfram’s face. He knew that once the blond Prince discovered he had been tricked, Yuri’s ass was going to be flambéed, but Yuri was all right with that. It sure as hell would be worth it.

With enthusiasm, Greta tore off the lid. Gasping, her eyes went wide. “Yuri! It looks like yours! It even has your crest on it,” Greta exclaimed in delight.

Yuri nodded. “I know.”

Curious, Wolfram strode towards his daughter. Greta held out the small white box to help him get a better look.

Lying on a bed of cotton was a blue teardrop crystal pendant with a strand of white ivy carved into it.

Stepping forward, Yuri took the necklace from her.

Greta turned her back to her father and swept her hair aside.

Seeing his fiancé fumbling with the clasp, Wolfram huffed a disgusted sigh and snatched the necklace away.

Yuri turned towards his Consort and soon-to-be husband. “Wolfram?”

“Wimp,” Wolfram called. “You are such a guy.”

Yuri blinked. What was that supposed to mean?

Pushing his clueless fiancé aside, Wolfram expertly secured the necklace around Greta’s neck. “There,” he said, stepping back.

Greta twirled around. “What do you think?” she asked. Her eyes were twinkling in glee.

“Beautiful,” her fathers said.

With a squeal, Greta flung herself first at Yuri and then Wolfram. She gave them a kiss and a quick hug each before racing out of the sunroom to show off her necklace.

Yuri watched her go with a gentle smile.

A dark shadow fell over him.

His smile faltered.

An angry aura appeared at his back.

He went still.

The only thought that went through his head was, “Oh shit.”

 

* * *

 

“YURI!”

Wolfram’s voice boomed throughout the castle.

In the farthest room from the sunroom, finishing the paperwork His Majesty had neglected to complete, Gwendal’s eye twitched and his grip on the quill tightened.

Startled, a flock of dwarf Tori (3), which were squat, red and black speckled birds, took flight from the tree that they were occupying outside the castle walls.

 

* * *

 

**A Couple Hours Later**

Standing outside the closed double doors of the study, Yuri yanked on the bottom hem of his black uniform to straighten any wrinkles or unsightly creases that may have appeared.

The two guardsmen in their stiff black uniforms that had glued themselves to his side as soon as he returned from Japan stationed themselves on either side of the study doors. The soldiers reminded Yuri of the English Guards that guarded Buckingham Palace with how stiff, formal and unbothered they always appeared to be by everything around them. Though the sight of their grim faces always reminded Yuri of Gwendal.

He shuddered.

“Are you going in or not?” snapped a voice in his ear.

Swallowing a startled yelp, Yuri spun around and saw Wolfram standing behind him. “Wolfram,” Yuri breathed placing a hand over his racing heart. Gulping, he felt a trickle of sweat trail down the side of his face as he gazed at his fiancé who had his arms crossed over his chest. There was the flicker of emerald flames burning hotly in Wolfram’s eyes. “You scared me,” Yuri laughed nervously.

Wolfram took a step towards his fiancé. “That’ll be the least of your problems if you don’t get in there and talk to Gwendal.”

Yuri gulped nervously and glanced over his shoulder.

“Well?” Wolfram demanded.

If it was at all possible, Wolfram scared Yuri a lot more than Gwendal did. When had that happened?

To make up for what he did earlier, Wolfram demanded that Yuri speak with Gwendal about allocating some of the mountains of paperwork Yuri had every single day to other, more capable handlers so that Yuri was free to see to other more pressing matters like spending some time with his fiancé and their daughter. It was something Yuri has been meaning to do for a while now anyway, but has been putting off for one reason or another. Really, the request was no big thing, but his second request--now that something else altogether.

No, not request, Yuri corrected himself, Wolfram’s demand.

Wolfram had insisted, in no uncertain terms, that Yuri was to speak to Gwendal and get his blessing.

Him? Speak to Gwendal? About him, having sexual relations with the Commander in Chief’s baby brother? What did Wolfram think he was? Suicidal? “What?!” Yuri had exclaimed scandalized. “How am I supposed to do that?”

Wolfram had merely shrugged. “You will think of something.”

“But why me?” Yuri whined. “He’s your brother,” he had pointed out. “Why don’t you talk to him? He wants to castrate _me_.”

“Because _you_ are the King.”

What kind of reason was that?

Sighing heavily and knowing he had little choice, Yuri grabbed the golden handles and pushed open the study doors.

“Just remember,” Wolfram hissed as the heavy double doors swung open, “tonight, your ass is mine!”

Was it possible to be turned on and terrified at the same time?

 

* * *

 

**That Night**

Yuri thrashed wildly upon the bed. His raven black hair was glued to his head by sweat. Endless obsidian eyes were clouded over by lust. With his right hand, he gripped the bed sheets above his head tightly. The pressure turned his knuckles white. His other hand was lost among the thick curly mop of blond hair that was bopping up and down between his legs.

Throwing his head back, Yuri arched off the bed. His mouth opened in a soundless gasp as a jolt of pleasure raced through him.

He had had a long talk with Gwendal earlier and they had called a truce. Though it was an uneasy and temporary armistice, it was a start. Gwendal had agreed to look into siphoning some of the paperwork off. Though he warned, a great deal of it had to go through him as the Demon King for approval. Yuri had a feeling that Gwendal was willing to comply with this request more for his own benefit than for Yuri’s seeing as Gwendal was the one who took over the King’s duty in the absence of the King.

_“And you will get Big Brother’s blessing.”_

Even now, Wolfram’s demand rang through Yuri’s head.

Yuri had never understood that phrase, between a rock and a hard place, but he did now because that was exactly where he had been when he tried to discuss his relationship with Wolfram with Gwendal.

What was worse? Being flambéed alive? Or buried alive? It was a toss up that would definitely land heads up in favor of Wolfram. Mostly because Gwendal would only be his brother-in-law. Wolfram would be his husband. It was not that Yuri was downplaying Gwendal’s influence or role in his life. No, it was more that Wolfram had the biggest role in Yuri’s life other than that of their daughter and Yuri’s duty to his people.

“Uhm, Gwendal, there is another matter that I would like to speak with you about.”

Yuri shuddered even now, as he remembered the look Gwendal had given him.

He had assured Gwendal that he was madly in love with Wolfram and had every intention of marrying him. He wanted to make a life with Wolfram, have a family, grow old and grey together, get bald and fat and wrinkly. Wolfram was such an ingrained part of his life that Yuri could not imagine his life without Wolfram. But seeing, as Yuri was not even nineteen yet, that time was not anytime soon.

There had been such a long, tense silence that followed his speech that Yuri had started to think he had overstepped his bounds.

Bowing politely, Yuri had turned to leave the study and rejoin Wolfram and the punishment that awaited him.

_“If,”_ but Gwendal’s voice had stopped him, _“you hurt Wolfram…”_

The unspoken threat had been left hanging there.

Licking the last of Yuri’s essence off his lips, Wolfram sat back on his hunches and gazed up the hard, lean body of his fiancé with a self-satisfied smirk.

Panting heavily, Yuri licked lips gone dry and sagged exhausted onto the bed. He draped an arm over his eyes.  
  
Yuri peeled open an eye with difficulty as he felt the bed jostle. He watched as Wolfram rounded the bed to the nightstand.

Wolfram opened the top drawer and felt inside for what he knew was there. His hand closed around a glass vial. With a sly smile, he pulled it out: a thick, clear, guppy liquid filled the vial. Closing the drawer with his hip, Wolfram turned back towards the bed and his affianced.

The night has only just begun. Yuri was going to pay for making a fool out of him.

Yuri felt himself rising back to life as he watched the predatory gleam in Wolfram’s eyes.

_“Don’t worry, Gwendal,”_ he had assured his Commander in Chief, _“I would never do anything to hurt Wolfram. You have my word on that.”_

But if he did somehow hurt Wolfram, Yuri would be the first to offer the elder demon his head for a life without Wolfram was not a life at all.

 

* * *

 

**A Week Later – Parfait – Tokyo, Japan**

Akira Tsutsui never knew that skipping school would be so boring. Yawning, he scratched the back of his head and then resettled himself back against the wall.

Final examinations had taken place back in December at the end of the fall semester right before winter break and now classes were strictly on an optional basis until the mandatory graduation ceremony rehearsal (4).

Most of his friends were applying to public colleges, so their hell had just begun. He wished them all luck. Mizuho’s older sister had a nervous breakdown last year while cramming for her entrance exams. Since he was being forced into going to the same private college his father and his father and his father before him went to, all that was behind him, thank God.

But now he was bored.

Akira’s dark chocolate eyes caught sight of a lithe guy crossing the street towards him at a jog. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him. He studied the guy with a frown. Something about the guy seemed familiar.

With hair trailing down between his shoulder blades as black as raven’s feathers and eyes just as equally black, the guy was dressed in a pair of jeans that were faded at the knees, whether by design or wear Akira was not sure, and a yellow polo shirt pulled over a white long sleeved shirt. The black messenger bag that was strapped across his chest bounced against his leg as he ran.

The answer hit him hard and fast.

No! It couldn’t be. Could it?

Akira scrambled to his feet, “Shibuya,” he called after the guy. “Hey! Shibuya!”

Hearing his name, Yuri glanced over his shoulder and seeing the guy racing towards him, frowned.

“It is you,” Akira exclaimed. “Isn’t it?” Now that he got a good look at the guy’s face, Akira was not so sure anymore. It certainly looked like his old teammate, but he looked…different. His eyes were sharper and more focused. His expression grim and serious. Shibuya had always been a little on the lean side. Keeping his body toned and in shape, even in the off-season.

Yuri took in the guy before him. He was maybe a couple centimeters shorter with short-cropped brown hair and dark brown eyes. Dressed in a black uniform with the mandarin collar similar to the one he used to wear. The black jacket was unbuttoned revealing a plain white T-shirt underneath.

“Aah! Tsutsui!” Now he remembered. They used to be on the same baseball team. Akira was one of the pitchers.

“Hey man! How’re you doing?”

“Fine,” the Demon King replied with less enthusiasm than his friend had.

Yuri was on his way to Parfait. He had come specifically at mid-day because he knew everybody that could possibly know him would be either at school or at work. Or they were supposed to be. The last thing he wanted was to have to try to explain why he seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth, which in a way was exactly what had happened to him.

“So, what have you been up to? You just suddenly dropped out of school and quit the team…”

Yuri was not sure how he was supposed to answer that. The truth would surely get him locked up in a padded cell in the nearest loony bin.

Before he could even search his mind for a suitable answer that would not invite additional questions, he heard a familiar voice.

A quick glance over his shoulder and Yuri was thanking the Great One.

“I’m sorry, Tsutsui, but I gotta go!” Without waiting for a reply, Yuri took off down the street, leaving his old teammate to gap after him.

 

* * *

 

“Oh! And flowers! And…!”

Eiri heaved a heavy sigh as Shuichi prattled on about plans for their wedding. He massaged his temples with his free hand. He was beginning to regret asking the baka to marry him. What had he been thinking?

A flash of memory from that night came back to him. With his pink haired idiot glistening in sweat and covered in come and moaning erotically underneath him.

Oh, yes. He _had not_ been thinking.

“Hey! We can get your father to marry us!”

Eiri’s eye twitched.

“That would be so cool! Don’t you think, Yuki?”

As cool as snow in July.

Eiri’s father had not exactly given his blessing for Eiri to court to Shuichi. In fact, Eiri’s father refused to acknowledge the very blatant reality that his eldest son was gay. Evidently, Eiri was nothing more than one disappointment after another. Not only was he in a homosexual relationship with a rock star, but he was an author of romance novels, had given up his life as a Buddhist monk (not that he had wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in the first place) and dumped the girl his father had wanted to betroth him to for a hyperactive idiot that had a tendency to cosplay in female clothing and who had actually flashed Eiri’s father at one time.

Oh, well.

“Shuichi!”

Cut off in mid-thought, Shuichi blinked blankly at the guy jogging towards him who had a smile on his face and was waving his hand above his head.

A grin slowly spread across Shuichi’s face. “Yuri!” Unhooking his arm from Eiri’s, Shuichi raced full throttle down the street towards his cousin with a squeal.

Sighing tiredly, Eiri followed at a more sedate pace.

Shuichi launched himself at his younger cousin.

Used to being glomped, Yuri merely smiled as he patted Shuichi’s back lightly.

Grabbing the back of Shuichi’s shirt, Eiri pulled the singer off the poor boy he was choking to death.

Yuri gave his cousin’s lover an appreciative smile. “Eiri,” he greeted.

“So, Yuri, what brings you down here?”

“Oh, just running some errands.”

Squirming out of Eiri’s grasp, Shuichi shoved his hand into Yuri’s face. “Look! Look,” he squealed hopping up and down.

Yuri spied the ring on his cousin’s finger. His eyes went wide. “Is that-?”

“Yes,” Shuichi nodded with a giggle. “Eiri asked me to marry him!”

“Congratulations!”

With his large eyes sparkling, Shuichi clasped his hands together. “You have to come to the wedding! Promise!”

“Of course.”

“And you have to bring Wolfram, too, okay?”

“Oh, he’d come even if he wasn’t invited,” Yuri confessed with a deadpanned expression. If he did not, he would have to hear about what a cheater he was for a week. Yuri felt the beginnings of a headache just thinking about it.

Eiri chuckled lightly. That sounded like someone else he knew. He shot a glance at Shuichi.

“And! And! Greta could be the flower girl! She would be so cute in a little kimono!”

“She’d love that.” Especially seeing as by the time her fathers married, she would be too old to be the flower girl.

“And?” Shuichi pressed. His eyes were gleaming eagerly.

Yuri blinked. “And…what?”

“What about Wolfram? Did you propose to him yet? I heard from Maiko that Mom said that your mom overheard you speaking with Ken about buying him a ring and proposing properly.”

Yuri’s face was aflame with a mixture of horror and embarrassment. Oh, Great One! The whole family knew?

Feeling bad for the boy, Eiri walked up this fiancé and with a fisted hand, bopped him on the head. “Alright Brat.”

“Ow! Yuki,” Shuichi whined covering his head with his hands. Tears filled his eyes. His lower lip trembled. “What did you do that for?”

“We gotta get going,” he reminded him.

“Aw!”

“Don’t give me that,” Eiri scolded. “We’re supposed to be meeting Seguchi and my sister for lunch. Remember?”

“Oh.” Shuichi face turned downcast. He wished they weren’t. Neither of the Seguchis particularly cared about Shuichi being with Eiri. “Right.”

Eiri rolled his eyes. He understood perfectly well why Shuichi was not particularly eager to go to lunch even if it meant going on a date with him. “Come on, Brat.”

“Do we have to?” Shuichi whined.

“Yes.” Eiri grabbed Shuichi’s hand and lacing their fingers together, dragged Shuichi down the street to the car.

Yuri watched in amusement as Shuichi continued to protest the whole way.

“Oh! It’s you.”

The surprised exclamation turned Yuri around. “Aah! Karin, wasn’t it?”

“Hello,” Karin Fujii greeted with a polite bow.

It looked as if the girl was just coming into work.

“Uhm, the sketch for the rings is completed,” she informed him.

“Really?”

Karin nodded. “Would you like to come in and take a look?”

“Yes, I would. Thank you.”

Side by side, they walked down the street towards the jewelry shop.

 

**…To Be Continued…**

**(1)**  From David Kirk’s Nova The Robot: Nova’s Ark  
 **(2)** Borrowed this technique from another KKM story (which I love), though I cannot remember which story it is. Hopefully, the author isn’t upset I borrowed it. All credit goes to her/him  
 **(3)** In case you‘re interested, “tori” is Japanese for “Bird”. I thought it would be ironic to have a species of bird called Tori.  
 **(4)** Got this from “Little Butterfly”

**A/N:** There are two deleted scenes within this chapter. The first one is with Wataru and Kazuki, which you can find in the _Only the Ring Finger Knows_ section under the title, “Comfortable” and the second scene is with Eiri and Shuichi from _Gravitation_ under the title, “It’s Nothing Fancy” in case you’re interested.

 


	3. Wolfram's Unexpected News

**Chapter 3: Wolfram's Unexpected News**

**A Month Later -- Covenant Castle -- The Great Demon Kingdom**

“That would not be so bad,” Wolfram was saying.

Yuri sighed, but otherwise ignored his fiancé. He regretted ever having told him about his cousin Shuichi’s pending marriage to his long time lover.

Apparently, Shuichi wanted to have the ceremony in the summer. Of course, Eiri was against the idea. He hated the summer. What he disliked even more was having his baby brother, who was also a monk, marry them. Since Eiri’s father had always protested his oldest son’s involvement with Shuichi, it came as no surprise that he was boycotting the wedding. Apparently, Eiri said that he liked it better without the thought of the old man there, but Yuri had to wonder. He knew that the two of them had never had the best relationship, but still.

 _“Eiri’s all talk,”_ Shuichi had whispered to him the other week. _“He’s really upset that his father refused to marry us. He’d actually been hoping that he marrying me would help mend their relationship. Ms. Mika-” That was Eiri’s sister. “-said she would talk to her father, but Yuki said that we should not hold our breath.”_

Yuri had never been gladder in his entire life that both his and Wolfram’s parents had given them their blessing.

Of course, Greta was ecstatic at the idea of being Cousin Shuichi’s Flower Girl. She had been talking about nothing else for a month.

Like father like daughter apparently.

All Wolfram has been talking about was how splendid it would be if it could be a double wedding.

“I thought you did not want to get married,” Yuri reminded his fiancé as he hung his jacket up in the bureau.

Already having exchanged his uniform for his pink nightgown with its blue ribbon along the neckline, which he usually only wore when they were away on missions, Wolfram denied ever having said such a thing from his position on his side of the bed.

Yuri wanted so much to argue that fact, but knew he would only be inviting trouble if he opened his mouth. He was in no mood to sleep in a bedchamber that smelled of smoke, which has happened more times than Yuri cared to remember.

As Yuri was unbuttoning the white shirt he wore under his jacket, a knock sounded on the chamber door.

Wolfram and Yuri exchanged a glance.

“Your Majesty,” came Conrart’s muffled voice.

Growling irately at the intrusion, Wolfram flung back the covers and marched towards the chamber door. He unlocked the door with a flick of his wrist and tossed open the door. “This better be important Weller,” Wolfram snapped.

Yuri winced. Wolfram only called Conrart “Weller” nowadays when he was really annoyed and really pissed. Yuri did not envy his godfather in the least right now. He himself had been at the receiving end of Wolfram’s temper tantrums more than once himself and they were never pretty.

“I assure you it is of the utmost importance, Wolfram,” Conrart informed his little brother. “Otherwise I never would have bothered His Majesty at such a late hour.”

Wolfram had to reluctantly agree.

Sliding back in the jacket he had just discarded, Yuri crossed the chamber. “What’s going on Conrad?”

Conrart bowed at his Lord and King. “There is a matter that needs your attention, Your Majesty.”

Out of reflex, Yuri wanted to correct his godfather, but he swallowed it back. There were just some things that he had to learn to live with. He wondered, though, what could be so important that it could not wait until morning. “Wolfram,” he called when he saw his fiancé heading towards the wardrobe.

“I can’t very well let you go alone can I? Who knows what kind of trouble you will get yourself into?”

Conrart chuckled lightly into his fist.

Yuri sighed heavily. Here we go again. “Wolfram, do you think that’s a good idea?”

The temperature dropped several degrees.

Yuri gulped nervously. Knowing he was risking his life, Yuri decided that he had to stand his ground this one time.

With one hand on the wardrobe door and the other swallowed by the darkness within it, Wolfram halted his quest for his uniform. Ever so slowly, he turned his head to glower at his fiancé over his shoulder. “Of course it is. I am your fiancé after all…Unless there is some reason I shouldn’t?” He glared through squinted eyes. “What are you hiding, you wimp?”

Yuri heaved a disgusted sigh. This argument was getting old. Why could Wolfram not trust him just this once? “Wolfram, I appreciate your concern, but I will be alright. I can take care of myself. Besides, Conrad and the others will be there.” Not to mention the shadow ghouls who refused to leave his side. The only time he was able to get some breathing space was when he went back to Earth.

The fact that Yuri would be surrounded by the likes of Conrad, Gwendal and Günter, no doubt, was half the point.

It did not escape Wolfram’s attention that Yuri avoided answering his question.

“Also,” Yuri continued in a gentler tone, “you haven’t been feeling too well off and on lately, right?”

Conrart immediately grew concerned for his little brother. “Are you not feeling well, Wolfram? Should I call Gisela?”

“No, thank you,” Wolfram snapped in annoyance. But the knowledge that Yuri was concerned about his health and well-being bought a pinkish tinge to his cheeks. As much as it irked him, he knew Yuri was right. He could do nothing more than reluctantly concede the point. He would be more of a hindrance than anything. Especially if he was hit with another dizzy spell. But that did not mean he had to like staying behind while his fiancé went off gallivanting who knows where to do who knows what with who knows whom. Crossing his arms over his chest, Wolfram turned his back on his fiancé and Conrart. “Fine. Do as you please,” he harrumphed.

Yuri chuckled at the childishness his fiancé displayed. It really was cute. Smiling, he crossed the bedchamber and wrapping his arms around Wolfram’s slim waist, hugged him from behind. Planting a kiss on the side of Wolfram’s neck, Yuri whispered something to his hot-blooded fiancé that caused the blond’s face to go lobster red.

They exchanged a quick kiss. Part of him hoped that whatever needed his immediate attention turned out to be nothing, but the other part of him knew that if that were really the case the others would not have fetched him. “Remember, Wolf,” he commanded over his shoulder at the chamber door, “get to bed and rest all right? And if you are not feeling better pretty soon, you’ll have to go see Gisela.”

Grumbling something about certain wimps minding their own business, Wolfram crawled back into bed as Yuri, followed by Conrart, and his black shadows disappeared out into the hall.

 

* * *

 

**Early Morning**

He smiled down at his sleeping fiancé who was snoring audibly as he lay sprawled across the bed. Yuri chuckled at the picture. He brushed his hand through Wolfram’s soft curls. Planting a chaste kiss on the snow-white forehead, Yuri turned from the endearing sight and quietly so as not to disturb his slumbering fiancé crossed the chamber towards the wardrobe, muffling a yawn.

By the Great One, sometimes he did not like being King.

 

* * *

 

**Couple Hours Later**

Soft chirps filled the early morning hours. There was the sound of metal clanging against metal accompanied by sharp, commanding voices. In the distance, there was the sound of a dog barking.

The sky was an endless blue dotted with clouds of white cotton candy. A light breeze stirred across the Great Demon Kingdom, fingering the flags that stood proudly around Covenant Castle. It rolled in through the open window of the King’s bedchamber and brushed the sky blue drapes that hung from the four-poster bed. A lump that lay underneath the sheets stirred.

Wolfram groggily pried open heavy lidded eyes and glanced through sleep-blurred vision at the drapes. Yawning, he flopped onto his back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Turning his head, he gazed at his sleeping fiancé besides…

All traces of sleep instantly vanished. Wolfram shot up. He searched about the chamber frantically. “Yuri?” he called. Flinging back the sheets, he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

The door burst open.

Wolfram lifted his head eagerly. His face fell when he realized it was only Greta.

“Morning, Wolfram,” Greta greeted cheerily as she skipped into the chamber.

“Greta, have you seen Yuri?”

“Yup!”

Emerald eyes brightened. Maybe Yuri had some things he had to take care of before breakfast. It would not be the first time. “Where-?”

“He left.”

Disappointment swelled within the Demon Prince followed swiftly by a surge of anger. “What?!” Wolfram jumped to his feet, fisting his hands. “That wimp!”

Wolfram’s heated tone caused Greta to grow cautious. “He said it was a surprise,” she explained, “for you.”

Wolfram blinked. He was not sure what he was supposed to think about that. He was glad that Yuri was thinking about him and not any of those countless young women or handsome men that made him the cheater that he was. Damn wimp.

He turned and gazed at the empty bed.

Just what exactly is that wimp up to? What is with all these “errands” that he has been running lately?

Suddenly feeling woozy, Wolfram dropped back down onto the bed and buried his face in his hands. Feeling dizzy and uncomfortably warm all of a sudden, bile started filling his mouth. He slapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh, God,” he moaned.

“Wolfram?” Greta called to her father in concern.

Scrambling off the bed, he raced across the chamber and vanished into the adjoining bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

The sounds of retching echoed out of the bathroom.

Wolfram was not sure how, but he knew that this was all Yuri’s fault.

 

* * *

 

**An Hour Later**

Conrart entered the dining room and gazed around the breakfast table. As he had had an emergency come up concerning one his new recruits, he was the last to appear.

His mother, Lady Celi, in her signature low cut black dress was scolding Gwendal for frowning. Conrart could see a vein pulsing in his big brother’s forehead. Greta was speaking adamantly with a very pleased looking Anissina. Conrart had a nagging suspicion he knew the reason for Gwendal’s scowl. Günter was scolding the new girl, Effie, for something he had most likely blown out of proportion. Again. With his chin in his hand, Wolfram was glaring angrily down into his bowl of fruit as if the fruit had somehow done him wrong. And knowing his younger brother, Conrart was sure it had. At least in Wolfram’s mind. Raising his fork, Wolfram speared a section of purple apple. Conrart’s eyes landed on the empty chair besides his little brother.

Aah!

“Where is His Majesty?” he asked as he strode towards the table.

“Probably loafing around,” was Gwendal’s answer.

“Now Gwendal,” Lady Celi scolded.

Wolfram’s grip on his fork tightened.

“Yuri had an errand to run,” Greta spoke up.

Conrart raised an eyebrow. “An errand?” What task could be so important that Yuri would leave before he even breakfasted?

“Mm hmm,” Greta hummed with a nod. “He said it was a surprise for Wolfram.”

In unison, everybody gazed at the sullen blond Prince who looked exactly like Gwendal in that moment.

Sensing that he was the center of attention, Wolfram raised his head. “What?” he snapped. His emerald eyes gleamed dangerously.

“Did His Majesty say anything to you?” Conrart inquired of his little brother.

“No, he did not,” Wolfram barked.

Gwendal huffed. “No doubt it is just another excuse to idle around and skirt his duties.”

“Nuh, uh,” Greta denied. “He said it was a very special surprise.”

Wolfram rammed the piece of apple into his mouth. He did not so much as chew it as destroy it as he would any enemy who dared raise a sword to him.

Conrart heaved a sigh as he pulled out his chair and sat down. He hoped that was the truth, for Yuri’s sake.

Damn Wimp, Wolfram thought.

Still incensed at the treatment he had received last night, Wolfram growled lightly. Who does that damned wimp think he was?

“So, Big Brother,” Wolfram spoke up into the silence that had settled upon those gathered in the dining hall, “I take it that disturbance last night has been taken care of?”

“Yes.”

“Apparently, the man is wanted in Big Cimaron for an attempt made on King Belar,” Conrart explained to his little brother.

“Too bad he was such a bad aim,” Anissina said.

Greta giggled.

A ghost of a smile flittered across Gwendal’s face.

Wolfram snorted. “Why would he try and do something so foolish? Belar is no threat to us or the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance.”

“Who knows?” Gwendal replied.

“From what I understand,” Conrart was saying, “the man came here with the intention of telling His Majesty about his ‘good deed’ in the hopes that he would be welcomed as a hero.”

Wolfram cocked an eyebrow. If that was what the man had been expecting, than he was even more insane that Belar.

“Oo! Speaking of good deeds,” Anissina spoke up brightly.

Sudden tension filled the air.

“Gwendal, I will need your assistance this afternoon.”

Gwendal’s eye twitched.

“I have a new invention I would like you to help me test…”

Aah! So he had been right after all, Conrart thought. Poor Gwendal. He did not envy his big brother in the least.

As the banter continued around him, Wolfram’s thoughts drifted back to Yuri.

It must have been quite late by the time Yuri came back to bed. But then he must have left quite early to run this errand of his. He could not have gotten much sleep last night. Whatever this errand was had better be good, or Wolfram swore by the Great One, that Yuri was going to be sorry.

He better not be flirting with any young girls or handsome men, that dog!

 

* * *

 

**Same Time -- Parfait -- Tokyo, Japan**

The sound of a bell rang through the small jewelry shop as Yuri entered. He thanked the Great One that he had been able to make it all the way across town without being spotted by anyone he knew. Tsutsui had been bad enough.

_“So, what have you been up to? You just suddenly dropped out of school and quit the team…”_

Yuri suppressed a shudder. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. How was he supposed to answer something like that? He could not very well tell the truth. How would that sound? He had become King in an alternate dimension where demons live, not so peacefully, alongside humans. If he bypassed that and just went with something like he was being home schooled now, that would invite even more questions.

Then there were his parents and Shori. He knew he should really go and visit them one of these days, but they were so suffocating!

“Welcome,” greeted a woman behind the counter.

“Hello,” Yuri returned.

It was a different woman from before.

“What can I do for you?”

Yuri walked up to the counter and smiled at the unfamiliar woman. “Yes, I received a call saying my order was ready for pick up?”

“Of course! And your name?”

“Shibuya. Yuri Shibuya.”

“Alright. Just give me a minute.”

The woman skirted the counter and vanished into the backroom through the swinging doors.

Sagging, Yuri held a slightly trembling hand over his middle as a herald of butterflies fluttered incessantly in his stomach. By the Great One, he hoped he could pull this off.

 

* * *

 

Attired in his favorite baseball jersey over a white long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans, Yuri strolled casually down the street lost in thought. His hands were shoved deeply into the front pockets of his pants. When his fingers clasped around a small circlet sitting deeply in his pocket, a small smile crossed his face.

He wondered what a Demon wedding ceremony involved. Was it anything like a human wedding? If he were not afraid that asking someone at the castle would open Pandora’s Box, he would talk to Günter. Yuri was almost certain that the self-appointed King’s Aid had gone over the details at one point, but Günter tended to drone on and on and on and on…

No offense to his purple haired advisor, but listening to Günter was more boring than reading “The Old Man and the Sea” and that was saying something since he’d not been able to get passed the very first sentence before he was out like a light; it was a more affective sleep aid than popping a handful of sleeping pills.

Maybe he could sneak off into town when he got back home.

 

* * *

 

**Covenant Castle -- Great Demon Kingdom**

The ceiling was lost amid a heavy cloud of steam. The flickering lights from the chandelier barely penetrated the thick layer of fog. Wolfram watched, as if hypnotized, as the candle flames danced to music only they could hear.

A splash jerked Wolfram out of his trance. Pushing away from the rim of the bath where he had been lounging, Wolfram’s hand automatically flew to his side where his sword would normally be kept. He cursed when he remembered that it was lying along with his clothes back in the bedroom.

“Who’s there? Show yourself,” he demanded.

Raising his hand out of the water, he mentally called on his powers. A swirl of fire appeared to form a sphere of fire in his palm. The flickering flames cast shadows about his face. Slowly, he turned in a circle, his ever watchful gaze scanning the steam filled bath, readying to act without a moment’s notice.

Emerald eyes narrowed as an object within the billowing clouds of steam caught his attention.

Taking a step backwards, Wolfram gathered his fire magic around him.

Floating upon the calm waters of the bath towards him out of the steam appeared a luffa sponge he’d purchased during his last visit to Earth. Upon, which, lay a small, circular metal object that sparkled in the flickering flames of his fireball.

The flames of his sphere sputtered and went out, as if it were nothing more than a candle on a birthday cake.

Stepping towards the sponge when it came within arm‘s length, Wolfram picked up the object resting atop it and stared at the object blankly. It was a ring.

Fisting the ring, Wolfram twirled around, carefully searching the King’s private bath. Just because he could not see anybody did not mean that there was not someone there.

With one eye on the lookout for intruders, Wolfram brought the ring up to study it more closely. It was made of some mysterious black metal he had never seen before. Engraved upon the black band was a blue shield. Upon the shield was Yuri’s crest: a lion with a strand of white ivy in its mouth. Emerald eyes went wide. “Aah,” he cried. “Yuri.”

“So,” came the sudden voice from behind him.

With a yelp, Wolfram spun around. He gave a cry of alarm as the ring jump out of his hand and nosedived into the water with a plunk, vanishing beneath the deep waters. “Dammit wimp! Look at what you made me do!”

Chuckling, Yuri held out a fisted hand towards Wolfram.

“What are you up to wimp?” Wolfram demanded suspiciously.

Turning his hand over, he started to uncurl his fingers one by one. When his hand was lying open, Wolfram’s eyes went wide.

“But how?” the Demon Prince gasped. “I saw it fall into the water!”

Yuri shrugged. “It’s a trick I learned from my uncle.”

His eyes never leaving the ring in Yuri’s hand, Wolfram swam across the bath towards his fiancé. He was not sure why but his heart was beating wildly within his chest.

Yuri held out his free hand.

With an eyebrow cocked, Wolfram glanced from it to Yuri.

Yuri just smiled.

Wolfram slid his hand within Yuri’s.

“To do this properly, we really should be out of the bath, but oh, well. This’ll work too.”

Wolfram drew his brows together. “Do what properly? What are you up to?”

“This.”

Yuri grasped Wolfram’s hand gently as if he were planning to plant a kiss on it, as if Wolfram were some noblewoman. Wolfram opened his mouth to yell at the damn wimp, but the retort that was formulating slipped away from his grip and floated into nothingness when Yuri took the ring and slipped it onto the third finger of his left hand.

His mind gone blank, Wolfram blinked. He held his hand up and studied the ring. It fit perfectly. “Wha-? Yuri…” He dropped his hand.

Emerald met onyx.

Yuri smiled. “Wolfram Von Bielefelt, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Once again, emerald eyes went wide.

A war of emotions raged within Wolfram. There was a part of him that wanted to throw all his inhibitions away and glomp Yuri as Günter seemed to do on a daily basis, but the more rational part of Wolfram wanted him to play it cool. In the end, Wolfram just said, “screw it” and threw himself at his fiancé.

The first time, Yuri asking for his hand in marriage had been an accident. Even though, slowly over the years, their feelings for each other had merged to become one and Yuri had accepted the idea of being married to another guy, there had always been some part of Wolfram that had always been waiting for the other shoe to drop. But this time Yuri had asked him to marry him out his own free will. It was a dream come true.

“Yuri!”

Taken by surprise, Yuri lost his footing and together the two of the sunk into depths of the bath.

They emerged moments later, sputtering and coughing.

“I take it that means yes?” Yuri assumed.

 

* * *

 

**A Week Later**

With her long green hair up in a loose braid and her pristine white uniform hidden under a long white lab coat, Gisela--adopted daughter of the Demon King’s Aid--lowered her hands as the blue glow enveloping them faded.

“Well,” Wolfram demanded from his prone position on the examination table.

“It seems as if congratulations are in order, Your Highness,” Gisela smiled down at the Demon Prince with a slight incline of her head.

Emerald eyes went blank. Frowning, Wolfram stared up the older demon woman in confusion. Congratulations? Why was she congratulating him on being sick? What kind of asinine…?

Gisela watched as comprehension slowly dawned.

Eyes going wide, Wolfram flew up. “What?!” Wolfram bellowed.

 

* * *

 

Wolfram stood before the study doors. Sentries standing at attention in their starch black uniforms and with their lances at their sides stood on either side of the doors. Wolfram was not sure how they could protect their king if they were not in the study with Yuri. What good could these soldiers be if they were not actually with their charge? He would have to speak with Gwendal about that. But knowing his big brother, Wolfram had a feeling Gwendal would praise the day the “perverted, lecher of a Demon King” was taken away from his “precious baby brother”.

He wondered what his big brother would think of his “baby brother” if the mighty Commander in Chief were to learn that Wolfram had been the initial seducer and not the seducee, as it were. Wolfram snickered.

Checking to make sure the buckles were properly buttoned on the sleeves of his regulation uniform jacket, Wolfram then yanked at the cuffs of his jacket. He stretched his arms out in front of him. Then he fixed an already perfect collar. Straightening his white ascot, he ran his fingers over the silver ornamental chain that held it in place. He smoothed his hands over his belt to make sure it was properly looped. Then he fingered the leather strap that was secured across his chest. Tugging at the hem of an already orderly blue uniform jacket to straighten out the non-existent creases, Wolfram ran his hands down the front of his jacket to smooth out any wrinkles that might have appeared. His hands paused over his abdomen briefly. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips before he fought it back and worked his fingers through his hair.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied one of the guards watching him in amusement.

“What?” Wolfram snapped in annoyance.

Caught, the guard snapped back to attention with his face flaming in embarrassment. “Nothing! Sir!”

Giving the man a not so pleasant once over, Wolfram turned his nose up with a sniff.

It was now or never, Wolfram thought. He took a deep breath.

 

* * *

 

“Shibuya Yuri Harajuku Furi,” Yuri scrawled at the bottom of the parchment. The quill flowed with such ease that he speculated whether or not the black feathered writing instrument was bewitched. He had signed so many documents over the years that Yuri was sure if he were to pass out, his hand would continue unabated.

After sitting down with Gwendal not too long ago, Yuri’s paperwork had reduced drastically. For which Yuri was extremely thankful, but a great part of Yuri’s day was still taken up with stacks upon stacks of paperwork. Yuri had a sneaking suspicion that his Commander in Chief was finding work for him to do just out of spite.

This particular document was a petition to formally adopt a day designated as honoring mother’s here in the Great Demon Kingdom. Knowing his subordinates as he did, Yuri had a feeling that Anissina had something to do with it. Lady Von Karbelnikoff had stepped up her campaign for women’s rights over the last couple of years ever since she discovered that Yuri sympathized with her cause. Yuri felt it was only proper to have a Mother’s Day seeing as after celebrating it as an informal holiday for the last several years, Father’s Day was finally designated as a legal holiday just last year. He wondered though, if this would not invite a floodgate of petitions from the women’s rights leader in the near future. Not that that was not a good thing. Just the opposite in fact. Yuri had no qualms with giving women here in the Great Demon Kingdom the same rights as the men. The problem was that Anissina was already more than just a little aggressive as it was and nearly as difficult as hell to live with. If she stepped up her campaign anymore than it already was, she would be impossible to live with.

Yuri shrugged.

He would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. And besides, would it really be a bad thing? Lady Von Karbelnikoff was working towards a brighter future for all the women in the kingdom, which included his daughter and Nicola. Some sacrifices had to be made for the sake of progress. Though, Gwendal would most likely not see it that way. A devilish grin crossed Yuri’s face. That was even more reason to approve whatever else Anissina had up her neon pink sleeve. He chuckled slyly. It may be childish, but playing with Gwendal was one of the highlights of the young Demon King’s day.

Moving the document to the “approved” pile, Yuri went to grab the next one when the study doors burst open with twin angry crashes. Yuri had an eerily strong sense of déjà vu.

“Wimp,” Wolfram roared as he strode into the study.

Startled, Yuri’s head snapped up. At the sight of his blond headed, emerald-eyed fiancé, Yuri felt his spirits lift. “Wolfram,” he greeted with a grin.

His step faltering, Wolfram’s felt his heart skip a beat. A rosy tint colored his cheeks. Shaking it off, Wolfram steeled himself and marched across the study towards his fiancé. He heard the muffled “click” as the doors closed behind him.

“How was your appointment?” Yuri asked, sitting back in his chair.

He had finally gotten a new chair. Well, technically, it was not new new. It was newer than the ancient piece of crap that he had been using. In fact, when Gwendal left for Voltaire Castle last week, located east of the Great Demon Kingdom, Yuri snuck into his study and switched their chairs. He could not wait to see Gwendal’s reaction when the man returned later today.

Wolfram’s eyes went hard as he glared over the desk at Yuri. “It’s your entire fault,” he accused.

Yuri jumped to his feet. “Me? What did I do?” A wave of guilt washed over him. Was Wolfram’s illness as serious as he had feared? Was it because of something he did? Or worse yet, something he had not done?

Wolfram quickly suppressed a pleased smirk that threatened to rise as he spied the guilt and concern that flashed across Yuri’s face.

For the past couple of weeks, Wolfram has been dealing with an upset stomach with bouts of nausea. He has also been unusually fatigued. Because of his stubborn pride, Wolfram had refused to go and see Gisela. But Yuri had finally had enough of being woken every single morning to the sound of his fiancé puking his guts out. So, worried that it could be something serious, Yuri had ordered Wolfram to see Gisela. Wolfram had been none too pleased.

Wolfram said in an accusatory tone, “Well, thanks to you, it looks like I will not be getting better any time soon.”

Obsidian eyes went wide. Yuri clutched his chest. His legs unable to hold him up any longer, Yuri collapsed into the chair bonelessly. “Wolfram…”

Enjoying teasing his flirtatious wimp of a fiancé, Wolfram placed his hands in the middle of the desk and leaning over it towards Yuri, said in as serious a tone as he could muster, “Approximately seven and a half weeks.”

Yuri’s heart gave another painful jolt. “Wha-?”

“That’s how long it’ll take until these symptoms disappear.”

Yuri went still. He blinked blankly up at Wolfram. Something was tugging at the corners of his mind. Something Günter told him.

Wolfram saw the wheels spinning in Yuri’s empty head. How he had fallen for such a moron was beyond him.  
  
It was fleeting. That something. It was teasing him to no end. It would come close enough for Yuri to be able to reach out and grab it, but when he tried to do just that, it fluttered just out of his reach. “Wait,” Yuri said slowly. “Wolf…Are you…?” No, it was not possible. “What…are you saying?” He felt lightheaded and on the verge of passing out.

Straightening, Wolfram sauntered around the desk and placed himself behind Yuri’s chair that resembled Gwendal’s an awful lot. Placing his hands lightly on Yuri’s shoulders, Wolfram bent forward and touched Yuri’s ears with his lips and whispered the news he had been told by Gisela.

 

* * *

 

From outside the study, the elite bodyguards in their black uniforms and matching caps pulled low over their grim serious faces heard a shout followed by a muffled thud and a loud clatter.

 

* * *

 

Lady Celi’s hands fluttered to her cheeks. “Oh, my,” she whispered. “Is that true, Gisela?” she asked the woman sitting opposite her.

Gisela sipped her tea calmly and nodded.

Greta giggled delightfully and bounced in her chair in barely contained joy.

“Wonderful,” Lady Celi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Oh, how delightful! It looks like we will be having that wedding after all!”

 

* * *

 

Conrart stood at the foot of the staircase and watched as his big brother rode through the gates on his regal black stallion. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and prayed to the Great One that Gwendal would not take this news as badly as he feared he would.

 

* * *

 

**Seven Weeks Later**

Many things have been happening since Wolfram discovered he was expecting.

Several more nations decided to join the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance despite the controversy surrounding Wolfram being pregnant outside the bounds of matrimony.

Caloria had officially separated from Big Cimaron to become a sovereign independent nation without much hassle or fanfare much to everybody’s surprise.

Yuri signed into law that women were allowed to be named as heir in their own right whether they were married or not. Apparently, this was a huge step forward according to Anissina. Before now, females could only inherit if they were married and even then their inheritance was relinquished to their husbands.

Greta now had a boyfriend (much to Yuri’s chagrin).

And in a fortnight, he and Wolfram were to be married whether either of them wanted to or not.

When Gwendal found out that the King had impregnated his baby brother, all Hell had broken loose. Their uneasy truce had been thrown right out the window. Yuri was glad that Lady Celi had been there to calm the infuriated Demon. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened. Greta might just be an orphan. There was still a rather large crack in the south wall that needed to be repaired.

Wolfram’s due date was rapidly approaching and he was as big as a house. Though, you had to be suicidal to even mention such a thing in his presence. The fire demon who had mastered control over his powers decades ago when Yuri’s grandparents were in diapers had a small tendency to go postal over the smallest slight, which was not much different than normal, but now that he was pregnant, his powers were just a little on the erratic side--to say the least. So there was no telling what would happen nowadays when Wolfram lost it.

Yuri shuddered at the thought.

Just the other day, Wolfram set their bed curtains on fire (again) after Yuri made the suggestion that maybe the two of them should lay off being intimate now that Wolfram was closing in on his due date for the sake of the baby. Of course, in typical Wolfram style, the Demon’s mind leapt from “no possibility of sex because it might harm the baby” to “no sex because he was fat and ugly and repulsive”.

Yuri heaved a sigh.

Then Wolfram very nearly burned down the nursery when he found out that the interior decorator Lady Celi had hired to decorate the nursery had decorated it “all wrong”. Yuri had actually liked how the nursery came out, but kept his opinions to himself. And rightly so. Otherwise, Wolfram would have flambéed his ass (again).

As absolutely terrified as Yuri was at the idea of becoming a father (of course, he had Greta, but his daughter was not a helpless infant completely dependent on her parents but could take care of herself), he could not wait until the baby was born. Anything was better than putting up with an already overly emotional Demon’s rampaging hormones.

“Your Majesty, could you hold out your arms please?”

Yuri did as the seamstress requested.

He was currently being measured for his wedding outfit. Again. How many times had he stood on this stool for hours at a time while the seamstress and his apprentice--a lovely, shy young woman no older than Greta--poked, prodded and pulled at him? It was getting a little old. And yes. Seamstress. The man considered himself a seamstress and not a tailor. Yuri had not bothered to ask why. It was none of his business.

Dressed in his black uniform, his long raven locks tied back with the ribbon Wolfram had wanted him to wear (Yuri had been too afraid of what might happen if he were to refuse), Yuri stared at his eighteen-year-old reflection in the mirror. Staring back at him was not the naïve, wide-eyed fifteen-year-old boy who came here when he was flushed down the toilet in the girls’ bathroom thanks to a bunch of bullies and yet it was not the Demon King either. He had matured, and was still maturing, into a combination of the two. It was still bizarre to look into the mirror and see how much he has changed in such a short amount of time. He was taller, broader in the shoulders and chest. Lean and trim with well-toned muscle in all the right places. His eyes sharper and his mind focused (most of the time). But he was definitely not against the changes. No matter what he looked like, he was still going to be him.

And to think that only two short years ago, he never would have imagined his life would turn out like this.

 

* * *

 

**Two Years Ago -- Shibuya Residence -- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**

Yuri had been back at home for less than a week now. Who knows how much time has passed in the Great Demon Kingdom. He was trying to aim for as little time as possible, but he was no expert when it came to controlling his powers. Far from it. So who knows how long he has been gone. One time, he had been trying for a week and ended up being gone for a whole month.

Truth be told, he was beginning to become a little antsy. It was funny how that happens. It was not too long ago, where he would have given anything to return home to Japan and his normal life as your average, run of the mill high school teenager. But the more time he spent there in the Great Demon Kingdom, the nearer and dearer everyone became to him, the more serious he was about his role as Sovereign and the farther away his desire for a life of normalcy became. Now, he would rather be in the Great Demon Kingdom than anywhere else.

Deciding to live his life as a Demon on his sixteenth birthday had been one of the easiest decisions of his life. Easier than he thought it would have been when he first became Demon King. One of the factors that he thought would hold him back from making that decision was his family. His parents and Shori in particular. But it was not as if he was never going to see them again. Just the opposite in fact. With his ability to come and go as he pleased, he could do just that. He could come back to visit any time he wanted. All he had to do was look at his decision to live his life as a Demon in the Great Demon Kingdom rather than as a Human here on Earth as him moving out on his own. It was something that every child had to do eventually.

“Well,” he corrected himself as he passed his brother’s room and saw through a crack in the door, the college student passed out stone cold across his bed, “almost all children.”

With as much time as Shori spent here at their parents’ house, you would never know that he had his own place.

Yuri strolled casually down the stairs.

His mother--Miko “call me Jennifer” Shibuya--had gone out to do some shopping at the Farmer’s Market, for which Yuri was extremely thankful. He was tired of having to deal with her constant nagging questions and insinuations about his personal life, which he has been subject to from the second he arrived a week ago. As his mother, she felt it was her right to do so and as a father himself, he understood completely, but still. A cup can only be filled so much. Go over that line and you will have a mess to clean up.

After the Farmer’s Market, his mother planned to go look at wedding dresses. Yuri felt physically ill at the thought. He had no idea why she was so adamant about finding “the perfect wedding dress”. Who did she expect was going to wear it? Not him that was for damn sure and he would kill Wolfram in a heartbeat if he even thought about doing something so ridiculous (not that he accepted Wolfram as his fiancé, mind you). They were both guys after all. A little something his mother seems to have conveniently forgotten. Now, if either one of them were into that kind of thing, that would be completely different, but they weren’t, so that was the end of that (again, not that he had accepted Wolfram as his fiancé or anything). Even if he were gay (which he was not) and were to accept Wolfram as his fiancé (which he still felt was fundamentally wrong), that still did not justify either one of them being subjected to wearing a dress. If the sight of Wolfram in a dress turned him on, then would it not make much more sense to go out with a woman like a normal teenage boy then?

His father, Shoma Shibuya, has really not said anything on the subject (about his youngest son being engaged to a guy, not about the dress part for he made his opinion very clear on that topic long ago).

Shoma was supposed to have had the day off today, but of course, he had been roped into going out golfing with a client. Or more accurately, a potential client. Yuri was not even sure if his father liked golfing or if he just put on a brave front so that he did not insult his clients. Yuri could understand if that were the case. He himself has been forced into that position on more than one occasion. And he was sure he was guilty of doing the same to others.

At the bottom of the staircase, Yuri grabbed the newel and swung himself across the entry hall and through the doorway that led into the living room.

It was weird being back at his parents’ house.

One reason being how quiet it was here. Yuri was not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the line, he had become accustomed to the everyday noises of the castle. Even in the middle of the night there was something going on. He thought it would be a nice change of pace to not have copious amounts of paperwork that needed his immediate attention, no Günter, no Black Knights (his personal guards that had been forced onto him not too long ago thanks to the ten Aristocrats) following him around like the Black Death every millisecond of everyday, no Wolfram nagging his head off, no Anissina chasing after him to help her with one of her inventions or talking his ear off about the necessity of raising the women’s station (not that he did not agree with her, for he did, it was just having to listen to her in her constant, endless tirades), no Gwendal and his intimidating glares. There was no nothing. And it had been nice…for maybe the first couple of hours, but then he grew bored and maybe even a little lonely.

He shook his head violently as an image of a scowling Wolfram popped into his mind and cursed when he felt himself blushing fiercely.

But he could not return to the Great Demon Kingdom, not yet at least. He had some business that had to be taken care of here before he went back.

Yuri plopped himself down on the couch. Extending his arms out across the back and stretching his legs out before him, he stared up at the white ceiling.

He had to speak with the officials at school and his baseball coach. Those were not conversations that he was looking forward to. What was he supposed to say to them? “Sorry Sir, but I have become King in an alternate reality.” Seriously. How would you react if someone said that to you?

As much as he would like to finish high school and go onto college with his friends, he, unfortunately, could not. As said ruler, it was just not possible. Maybe if he was the Crown Prince, but he was not. He was the King. He had responsibilities, duties. His people depended on him. He just could not afford to leave for weeks or even months at a time as he has been doing in the past. Not anymore. He made the decision to become the Demon King and with great power came great responsibility and even greater sacrifices. Besides, it was not as if he was not going to be continuing with his studies. Günter would see to that.

His heart leapt into his throat when the bongs of the doorbell echoed through the house.

Pushing up from the couch, he strode out of the living room and through the foyer, where he unlocked and then pulled open the front door.

“I heard you went and got yourself engaged.”

Yuri blinked. Standing there grinning at him behind a pair of dark wraparound shades and a baseball hat, was his cousin Shuichi Shindou.

Shuichi lowered his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose and stared over the tops of them at his sixteen-year-old cousin with obsidian eyes with their signature violet sheen. “Hey, Yuri.”

 

* * *

 

**Present – Covenant Castle -- Great Demon Kingdom**

Being pricked with a needle, for what seemed like the sextillionth time, jerked Yuri back to the present.

“I am terribly sorry, Your Majesty,” the man apologized in a distracted manner making him sound not the least bit sorry.

He and his apprentice were currently working on pinning back the sleeves of the white cotton gambeson that Yuri was supposed to wear for the wedding underneath a black leather jerkin along with a black cape and black velvet stretch pants, boots and (God forbid) his sword.

 _“So, basically, for my wedding, I am supposed to dress as Tristan, only in black? What, is Wolfram going to walk down the aisle as Isolde?”_ he had teased. Only Murata had understood the joke. Of course, once again, Wolfram being Wolfram, he had jumped to conclusions and Yuri had been forced to explain just who Tristan and Isolde were before Gwendal castrated him.

Yuri chuckled.

No sooner had the words of apology left the seamstress’ mouth when Yuri was stabbed yet again.

Swallowing a startled yelp, Yuri snapped his head around to glare angrily down at the man. What? Was he a pincushion? It was no wonder the elder Demon was retiring at the end of the year. Though with him as a sensei, Yuri was not so sure how far his apprentice would go or how long her career would last.

Yuri’s eye twitched. He was this close to…to- aah! Who knows what? But he was fast getting to that point.

“Aah! Your Majesty,” crooned a sickly sweet female voice behind him. “How handsome you are!”

A feeling of dread washed over him, but Yuri pushed it aside and plastered a smile on his face. He glanced in the mirror and watched as Lady Celi swept into the room with all the flourish and gallantry and screaming sex appeal that she was known for. “Lady Celi,” he replied politely with a nod of his head.

Lady Celi pouted dramatically. “It’s ‘Mother’, Your Majesty.”

_“It’s Mama, Yu-chan.”_

Yuri shuddered.

“Or, ‘Mom’. Oh! How about ‘Ma’? Or…”

Yuri suppressed a groan. And this was the family he was willingly marrying into? Seriously. What was wrong with him?

 

* * *

 

**Two Years Ago – Shibuya Residence -- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**

“Where’s Eiri?” Yuri inquired as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Book signing,” Shuichi said as he placed his hat and sunglasses on the coffee table before plopping down onto the armchair in the living room. He pulled his legs up and hugged his knees to his chest, dangling his toes over the edge of the seat cushion. He drummed his fingers on his jean-clad knees. “He has a new book coming out.”

“What’s this one about?” Yuri asked. He crossed the kitchen towards the refrigerator.

“Haunted places around the Tokyo area.”

That greatly surprised Yuri. “Cool,” he commented as he peered into the fridge.

“His editor didn’t seem to think so.”

“Why not?” Yuri asked. “All we have is Pepsi,” he called out.

“That’s fine.”

Yuri pulled out two cans of pop, shut the refrigerator and made his way back to the living room.

“Well,” Shuichi began, “Yuki is known for his romance novels after all. I do not even know why they are considered romance novels in the first place. Oh, thanks,” he said as he took the proffered blue can from his younger cousin. He opened it and took a long swig.

Yuri seated himself on the couch and opened his own can. He took a sip before placing the can on the coffee table.

“I mean, it’s not like they’re anything like those Harlequin romances, or something.”

That was true (not that he had ever read any of the books his cousin’s lover wrote or anything).  
  
“If anything, his books are more like something JD Robb or Laurell K Hamilton would write, or something, you know?”

Technically, JD Robb’s novels were futuristic romances (again, not that he had ever read any of her books), but Yuri understood what Shuichi was getting at.

“I mean, you pick up any book and nines times out of ten there is an underlining plot centering around the budding romance of the two main characters as they work together to solve some crime or something, but those books are not considered romances, right? They’re considered thrillers or mysteries or suspense or something, ya know? Anyway…what was I saying?” Yuri opened his mouth to answer, but Shuichi beat him to it. “Oh! Right. Well, because Yuki has been sorta typecast as a romance novelist, Ms. Mizuki--that’s Eiri’s editor--is afraid that this book might not be well received. Ya know, because it is not a romance novel.”

Yuri nodded. “What made him write it?”

Shuichi shrugged. “He said he wanted to try something new.” As the lead singer for Bad Luck, it was something Shuichi knew about all too well. “But it has been getting some great reviews, though. So...”

“You never know.”

“Right.”

Yuri reached for his can of pop.

“So,” Shuichi drawled.

“Hm?”

“Who’s the lucky girl?”

A stream of Pepsi came spewing out of Yuri’s mouth. It arched over the coffee table like a bridge and landed several inches shy of the television. “...It’s not…I mean…” he managed around coughing fits. If Wolfram were to find out he was being referred to as a female…Yuri blanched as the endless possibilities. And of course, Wolfram would blame Yuri.

“‘Not’?” Shuichi cocked his head to the side. He turned thoughtful. Then his lips peeled back to show professionally whitened teeth. “You mean it’s a guy?”

Blushing fiercely, Yuri shook his head vigorously. “No! No, I, I, well, technically, yes, Wolfram is a guy, but, but! It’s not like that! I mean, well, it is, like that, but, but…it was an accident! I, I had no idea what I was doing when I proposed and, and…”

Shuichi giggled, his violet eyes sparkling.

“He’s short-tempered, arrogant, possessive, and over-protective, gets jealous if I so much as think of someone else…! He’s a selfish, spoiled brat!”

 _That sounded remarkably like Eiri,_ Shuichi thought.

“Don’t get me wrong. He’s one of the best swordsmen in the nation. He has saved my life numerous times. He’s also beaten me countless times!” And of course, Wolfram never let him forget either one. “And he’s great with Greta.”

“Oh! Your daughter, right?”

Yuri nodded. “Yeah. Greta absolutely loves him!”

“That’s good.”

Yuri snickered. “He’s always acting so touch and macho, but sleeps in this stupid looking pink nightgown.”

Shuichi cocked an eyebrow. Even he has never gone that far and he once wore his younger sister’s school uniform (even shaving his legs) thinking Eiri despised him because he was a guy, not to mention that one time he dressed up as a girl so that he could pretend to be Ayaka to get Eiri’s father to annul Eiri’s betrothal to her.

“He has a blue one he wears when we’re away on missions.”

Shuichi giggled lightly.

“And he gets seriously sea sick.” That reminded him. “Oh! This one time, we were sailing to Van de Via Island and Wolfram snuck onboard. He was so sick that he ended up staying in bed the entire time. So he ended up not being able to go to the Ball. Mr. Baldy-I, uh, mean, Mr. Heathcrife asked if I could dance with his daughter, Beatrice, ya know because she is not much older than Greta and had never danced with anyone before, so she was sitting all by herself and not having a very good time, so I agreed, if nothing more than to get away from all hordes of wo-uhm,” his face beat red as he remembered the crush of women, including Jozak in drag, Yuri hurriedly skipped that part, “and once I returned to the cabin, Wolfram was so angry! He threw a pillow at me! Can you believe it? He accused me of being unfaithful just because I danced with a ten year old girl!” Parched, Yuri took a long swig of his pop.

Shuichi tipped his head to the side and studied his cousin. “…You seem happy,” he commented.

Yuri froze. His face went red this time for a completely different reason that he did not want to dwell on. He lowered his can and stared at the liquid as it sloshed around inside the can.

“You really love him… don’t you?”

If it was at all possible, Yuri’s blush deepened, though he shook his head in denial. “No! I am not in love with Wolfram. It’s not like that. Wolfram is a guy! It’s just…wrong! I would much rather marry a girl if I have to get married. Besides, Wolfram’s a good friend. One of my best friends. And he’s a great father to Greta. I could not imagine my life without him, but I don’t love him.”

Shuichi smiled sadly. “Who are you trying to convince, Yuri? Me? Or you?”

Yuri’s mind went blank.

 

**…To Be Continued…**


	4. Preparations

**Chapter 4: Preparations**

**Present - Covenant Castle -- Great Demon Kingdom**

Yuri was not sure what the deciding factor was.

The seamstress and his apprentice seemed to have something against him. For with every pin they stuck in the material that was to be his wedding outfit, Yuri had an accompanying hole in his body. He was beginning to feel like Swiss cheese. Yuri wondered if he would look like a sprinkler if he were to down some water. It did not help that they were pulling on him and jerking him around as if he were a rag doll.

He was the Demon King for the love of the Great One! Why was he being subjected to all this torture? It just was not fair.

And then there was Lady Celi. His soon to be mother-in-law was on another one of her spiels about the wedding.

At last count, there were to be at least a thousand guests. The number of invitees was staggering, but Günter and the others claimed that as the King, all of Yuri’s subjects had been eagerly awaiting this day since Yuri proposed to Wolfram that first night. They all wanted to be here to witness this momentous occasion. So, all ten Aristocrats and their families from the Great Demon Kingdom were coming. Along with other high ranking officials and Nobility from within the kingdom and those nations that had aligned themselves with the Great Demon Kingdom, whether they were part of the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance or not. Even Adalbert had RSVP’ed.

Lady Celi kept going on and on about the lavish wedding ceremony and all about the exotic flowers that were being brought in from all over the world. Apparently, it was acceptable--even encouraged--for there to be such an abundance of flowers that it was just this side of going overboard. Not to mention all the various fertility symbols, such as conch shells, brightly colored eggs, figurines of God and the Goddess and so forth, which were supposed to bless the wedded couple and bring them good fortune in producing children. Or something like that. There was also going to be hundreds of candles.

It seems that during the ceremony itself, Wolfram and he were supposed to stand in the center of a circle of candles and crystals. Yuri was not sure what this symbolized. He was sure that Günter explained it to him at one point, but the man just droned on and on so it was hard to keep focused.

Situated in the center of the courtyard, where the ceremony was to be held, facing the east would be the altar. Apparently, tradition had it that the peoples of the Demon tribe honored the east “as a place of renewing power because of the daily rising Sun” (1). Soft instrumental music would be playing throughout the ceremony to create a relaxing, calm atmosphere.

Placed upon the altar to the east was supposed to be a glass candleholder with a white candle to represent air. To the south, a brass candleholder with a red candle to represent fire. To the west, a bowl of seashells in brine to represent water and to the north, a bowl of gemstones to represent earth. There was also to be a chalice of some sort with a little fresh water in it, a dish of salt or earth, pentacle disk, sword and/or dagger, wand, incense burner (preferably with attached chains for carrying) with lighted charcoal, incense, and candles.

The morning of the ceremony, the Priestess performing the wedding had to do some sort of dedication ritual before any of the guests or even the members of the wedding party arrived. Then after everyone arrived, but before the ceremony itself can be preformed, there was to be some sort of purification ritual.

The ceremony itself was not very long. Once you get right down to it, it was all very simple. Wolfram and he had just to remember a couple of phrases: “yes”, “no”, “I may” and “we will”, but because it was them, somehow Yuri knew that it was not going to be as simple as all that. It never was.

Other than the multi-step ceremony, there were a dozen other things that had to be considered, but neither Wolfram nor he were allowed to worry their little heads about any of it, even though it was their wedding: Wolfram’s and his wedding attire were to be kept traditional and made from only the best material, which also happened to cost more than most nations national budgets. The food was being catered by a world-renowned chef. The music was courtesy of some national award-winning band that has played for nobility all over the world.

Other then those items needed for the ceremony, Yuri was not sure what sort of decorations were going to greet him once he stepped into the courtyard. The reception was to take place in the Great Hall. Once again, he was in the dark as to what he should expect, but he distinctly heard something about fire breathers and those acrobats who hang from the ceiling and twirl around on material.

Thanks to Lady Celi, with a little help from Yuri’s mother, the whole event was turning into nothing short of a circus.

He loved Wolfram, had from the moment he saw him striding down the front steps of the castle that first day in his cloud of arrogance and self-importance. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Wolfram. He wanted to have a family with him, fall asleep with him at night and wake up next to him in the morning. He wanted them to grow old together, lose their hair, teeth, eyesight and hearing, get fat and all wrinkly like a raisin. And yes, he wanted to marry him, even it might be sooner than either one of them would have liked.

But this was not what he had in mind when he pictured marrying Wolfram, even if he was the King. If it were up to him, it would be a private, quiet affair, but unfortunately, it was not. The whole thing was out of Wolfram and his hands.

Maybe they should just elope. That was sounding like a really good idea right about now.

This whole wedding fiasco reminded Yuri uncomfortably of how the others used to keep things from him (and still do to some extent) concerning the movements of the enemies or whatever just happened to be going on at the time and then scolded him for being a “weak King” or being “out of the loop”, or something. How was he supposed to know what was going on in his own kingdom, how was he supposed to rule his people effectively if his closest advisors kept things from him? How was he supposed to trust people like that? Was he supposed to just trust them with no questions asked? Trust that they had the best of intentions in mind? Trust that they knew what they were doing? That what they did was for the good of the kingdom? Okay. Sure, but what about him? If he had to put blind faith in them, then what about him? Should they not put some of that same confidence in him? They were the ones who placed him on the throne and made him their Demon King after all. How were his people supposed to take him seriously when his advisors did not give him the same courtesy? They claim they were “protecting him”. They did not want to “worry him needlessly”. He should not have to worry about something so “trivial”. Yuri could understand their concerns and their desire to shield him from the big bad world, but all they were managing to do was make him look like a fool. It made him feel more like a token figurehead than anything else and he did not much care for the feeling.

He was sick of it all. It was all too much. If he did not get away, he was going to snap.

He was tired of being manhandled, tired of hearing about a wedding that he had absolutely no say in but was being forced into going through all because his fiancé was pregnant, tired of putting up with Gwendal’s attitude, tired of dealing with Günter, tired of Wolfram and his mood swings. He was just plain tired of being tired.

“Aah! Enough,” he yelled.

He could sense his Black Knights, who were situated both outside the doors and around the room, all snapping to attention.

“Majesty?”

“Your Majesty?”

“Are you alright?”

“Is something the matter?”

Dozens of concerned voices spoke in unison at Yuri’s outburst. Why did he have the distinct impression that they all were only just remembering that he was present? That irked him even further.

“I have had it. I have had it. I have had it!”

“Your Majesty?” Lady Celi inquired. “Is everything alright? Are you not feeling well?”

“Everyone out,” Yuri commanded.

“Sire?”

“Now!”

The seamstress literally jumped. He along with his apprentice, who was now in tears, as well as every other person present, except for his personal guards, of course, fled the room as if their asses were on fire and who was say that they were not?

Once he was alone, Yuri stepped off the stool he had been standing on for who knows long and sank gratefully into a plush, wingback chair. Stretching out his legs before him, he leaned his head back against the top of the chair and closed his eyes with a sigh.

Sometime he wondered just what the hell he had been thinking.

 

* * *

 

**Two Years Ago – Shibuya Residence -- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**

“…Wha…?”

Shuichi hugged his arms loosely around his knees. Cocking his head to the side, he studied his cousin silently. “Yuri,” he whispered. “There is nothing wrong with being gay.”

Yuri blushed. “I am not-!”

More than anyone else in the family, Shuichi was the one person who could fully understand Yuri’s plight. Once upon a time, he had been just like his cousin. Maybe not as stubborn or pigheaded, but just as unsure. “Then why are you engaged to a guy?”

“It was an accident,” Yuri whined. Why could these people not understand that?

A long pause met the end of this statement.

“You ‘accidentally’ got yourself engaged to another guy?” Shuichi asked in a deadened voice.

“Yes!”

Silent, Shuichi stared at his cousin.

Yuri began to sweat. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “He was saying things and I lost my temper and I ended up slapping him…”

Shuichi remembered overhearing his mother and Aunt Jennifer talking about that the other day. If being slapped were to mean you were proposing to someone here on Earth, then he and Eiri would have been engaged hundreds of times over. It was too bad. He would give anything to be Eiri’s wife. “But if it was just an accident, then why haven’t you broken it off?” he inquired softly.

Yuri opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. His mind was blank. “I-I…I guess I just…I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

Shuichi smiled softly. “Yuri…”

“Look, Wolfram is a great guy and I do love him. How can anyone not? He is a very handsome guy after all, but I am not in love with him.”

Shuichi cocked an eyebrow. Didn’t Yuri hear what he was saying? He sighed heavily and shook his head. Trying to talk to Yuri was like trying to ask a brick wall for directions.

“It’s just…It’s not--right.”

It sounded like Yuri was saying it more to himself than anything.

“Oh, Yuri,” Shuichi sighed. “Does it matter that Wolfram is a guy?” It was obvious to just about everyone that Yuri had feelings for his fiancé, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Yuri’s head snapped around. “Of course it does!” It was the only factor he was absolutely certain about. Or at least, he thought he was.

“…Why?”

“It, it just…does!” He felt like a rat in a maze. He was trying to find the end, but it was useless. No matter which way he turned, he always came upon a dead end. Why could he not find his way out?

Shuichi dropped his legs and slid to the edge of the seat. He caught his cousin’s gaze and held it. “Why?” he demanded. There was no way he was going to let Yuri get away with a “just because”. No way. No how. That was not a reason. Much like the “because I said so” excuse, your parents give you when you ask them why you cannot go and <insert request here>.

“It’s just-”

“Just what?”

Yuri was at a loss. He shook his head.

“It’s just not right.” Shuichi said quietly. “It’s gross. Disgusting. Unnatural. Immoral. Having feelings for another man makes you a freak of nature. A pervert. A deviant. An abomination.”

Yuri raised his head to look at his cousin.

“I have heard it all.”

“Shuichi.” Truthfully, Yuri had forgotten that Shuichi was gay. Well, he knew he was, but had not really thought about it. It was just another fact. The sky is blue. The clouds are white. The grass is green.

“I have had nutcases shouting Scripture at me for years. There are always protesters outside NG and at our concerts who claim I’m ‘evil’. That my ‘chosen lifestyle’ is a bad influence on the kids. I am possessed by the Devil and should be exorcised. I have had fanfics written about me online supporting the authors fucked up belief that me being gay validates every bad thing that has happened to me or should happen to me. I read one where I contracted AIDS and ended up throwing myself from some building, thinking that if I had not ‘chosen’ to fall in love with Eiri, then I never would have gotten sick in the first place. Blah. Blah. Blah. And you know what? I don’t care anymore what people think. I am in love with Yuki, have been since I was eighteen and nothing will ever change that. My name is Shuichi Shindou and I am a gay Japanese man.”

“But that’s-!”

“Different?”

Yuri cringed at having his own words thrown at him. Even to him, his excuses were beginning to sound weak.  
  
“Yuri, what does it matter what sex Wolfram is? As long as you’re happy, does anything else matter?” It was basically the same thing that Hiro told him back when he had been having doubts about his budding relationship with Eiri.

Yuri wanted to say, “Yes”, but was not sure why anymore.

Shuichi growled lightly. This was beginning to become tedious. “If you have no feelings for Wolfram, then why haven’t you broken off your engagement?” he snapped. “Why do you still allow Greta to refer to him as her other father? Why do you look so happy every time you’re speaking about him? Why do you allow him to push you around and call you names and sneak away on mission with you? Why do you share your bed with him? Why did you return to Earth when it was assumed that you would never be able to travel back and forth anymore? And why did you not look back when he called out to you? When Wolfram’s heart was taken in order to unlock one of the Forbidden Boxes, why did you react the way you did? When Wolfram broke off your engagement and decided to leave Covenant Castle for Von Bielefelt Castle, why did you go after him? Why are you so restless at night when Wolfram’s not asleep besides you? Why Yuri? Why?”

Yuri continued to shake his head with each question hurled at him, his face going whiter and whiter. He felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Of course, Yuri’s mother had a pretty big mouth. It seemed to run in the family. So of course, a great deal of the family was aware of Yuri’s exploits.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes. “This has nothing to do with society or how you were raised,” he continued. His aunt Jennifer was very open-minded and the least prejudicial person in the world. Not even the Pope can say that. Shuichi could not even say that about himself. “No. This is about ‘him’. Isn’t it?”

Like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car, Yuri went completely still.

 

* * *

 

**Present – Covenant Castle -- Great Demon Kingdom**

Yuri’s eyes flew open with a gasp.

Sighing deeply, he draped an arm across his brows and stared up at the vaulted ceiling.

“Him”.

Closing his eyes, he tried to calm his racing heart.

He had not thought about “him” in years. Yuri could not even remember what “he” looked like anymore. “He” was the one secret he kept from Wolfram. Nobody but a very select few within the family knew about that incident. Maybe one day he would gather the courage to tell Wolfram, but right now, it was still a very sore subject and the less time he spent dwelling on it the better.

Yuri scrubbed his hands over his haggard face. Yawning, he ground his knuckles into his tired, aching eyes.

There was a sudden hammering on the drawing room doors. “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

Peering at the door between his fingers, Yuri suppressed a groan. Günter. Of course. Surprise. Surprise.

Dropping his head back against the chair, he let it flop to the side and gazed blankly out the window that overlooked the flower garden below. With a finger, he gave a quick jerk of his wrist and on the other side of the room, the heavy wooden doors locked with a loud, resounding clunk of tumblers. And just in time. For not more than a second after Yuri locked the study doors, the door handles rattled.

“Your Majesty? There seems to be a problem with the doors,” Günter called through the doors.

Yuri snickered.

“Your Majesty?”

His guards positioned around the room did not appear too disturbed by the sudden turn of events, for which Yuri was extremely thankful.

“Adele,” Yuri called to the closest guard.

“Sire?” the man replied, snapping to attention.

“Where is Wolfram?”

“His Highness, Lord Von Bielefelt, should be resting in His Majesty’s bedchambers as per Gisela’s orders.”

Yuri nodded.

Before anyone even had the time to blink, a funnel of water appeared from out of nowhere and engulfed Yuri. The Black Knights reached for their weapons and surged forward, but by the time they had the chair surrounded, the water funnel was gone. as was His Majesty, Yuri Shibuya.

 

* * *

 

The whole castle was in an uproar. Yuri found it all quite amusing to watch as everybody scurried around like chickens with their heads chopped off, though he did not expect them to act any other way. After all, their King had disappeared and right before the eyes of the infamous Black Knights, who were said to be the best swordsmen and magic wielders in the nation. He did feel bad for deceiving everybody like this, especially his own guardsmen. Yuri hoped they were not reprimanded too much. It was not their fault after all. But it did not stop the whole thing from being as amusing as hell.

Peering around the corner, Yuri gazed up and down the hallway. He gave a start when he spied Conrart speaking with several of his men urgently with the Great One and the Great Sage looking down on them. While there was more than one-way to get to where he wanted to go, the most direct route (other than using his magic) was down that hallway there.

Damn.

The soldiers saluted their captain. Yuri flattened himself against the wall and melted into the shadows as the soldiers rushed passed him without as much as a glance in his direction. Tsking at their incompetence (he would have to remember to speak with Günter about that), Yuri stepped out of the shadows and watched as the men hurried down the hall and turned the far corner, vanishing from his view.

He glanced over his shoulder and found Conrart now speaking softly to Gwendal. Where had he come from? The brothers were speaking too low for Yuri to make out what they were saying, but he did get the gist from the way Gwendal was gesturing wildly. He looked as if he were on the verge of having an aneurism. It would be as funny as hell if Yuri were not positive that Gwendal wanted to murder him on sight. And why? Who the hell knew? Just because Yuri had the gull to fall in love with Wolfram Von Bielefelt.

Deciding to leave the confrontation for another time, like when he was feeling suicidal, Yuri took a step backwards and pulled the shadows around him like a cloak and vanished. He just hoped it worked this time.

 

* * *

 

Just wait until he got his hands on him! First, he had the audacity to touch his little brother most inappropriately and then he had the nerve to impregnate him! Outside the bounds of matrimony no less. Of all the impertinent, audacious…! To dishonor his little brother not once but twice was inexcusable! To top it off, the double black brat had the impudence to claim that he was not going to do right by Wolfram and marry him! There was no way his nephew was going to be born into the world a Bastard. No. His Majesty was going to marry Wolfram. Even if it meant being marched down the aisle with a pistol to his head.

Gwendal cut himself off in mid-thought. His head snapped around.

“Gwendal?” Conrart questioned.

Holding up his hand, Gwendal strode purposefully down the hall.

Curious, Conrart followed closely behind.

At the junction, Gwendal peered around the corner. Nothing. He frowned. He was almost positive…

“Conrart,” he called suddenly. “Where is Wolfram?”

“In his room resting. Why?”

Without answering, Gwendal turned on his heels with a snap and marched down the hallway back the way they came.

Conrart sighed heavily as he went to follow him. While he, himself, agreed that His Majesty should not be allowed to run around unescorted at all times, especially here in Covenant Castle (one can never be too sure), he was sure that Yuri had a perfectly reasonable explanation for vanishing as he had. It was possible all the pressure and stress surrounding his pending marriage to Wolfram had finally caused His Majesty to snap. In a matter of sixty-three short days, he was going from being a bachelor to married with children. Maybe Yuri just needed some time to himself. Conrart knew if he were in Yuri’s shoes, he would have not have fared any better. But of course, Gwendal was in no mood to hear any of it. Talk about a one-track mind. His brother needed to find himself a girlfriend.

 

* * *

 

The light spilling into the chamber from the windows creating three long shafts of light on the floor dimmed and vanished behind a formless solid black mass that slowly appeared in the middle of the room by the foot of the bed. Then just as quickly as it appeared, the mass of shadow vanished. The bright mid-afternoon light spilled freely into the chamber.

Yuri stretched, working all the kinks out of his body. Now that was an experience. It was something he was just beginning to learn how to do, so he was no expert. Maybe one in every ten tries actually worked as it was supposed to. The first time he tried this technique, he ended up ten miles from the intended destination in the home of a very lovely young lady. Of course, Wolfram had accused him of messing up on purpose just for that very reason.

Whatever.

Sometimes, Yuri had a feeling that Wolfram complained because he liked the sound of his own voice. Of course, he did dare mention that to Wolfram. He was not that stupid.

Yuri glanced around the chamber looking for Wolfram, expecting to find him doing something other than what he had been ordered to do. It was something for which Wolfram was famous. Yuri had a feeling that the blond Demon Prince did it more out of principle than anything. His fiancé sure was something else. But then again, that was one of the attributes that Yuri loved about him. To his surprise, though, he noticed immediately that the curtains had been drawn around the bed. Wow. That was a first. Wolfram actually doing something he was told. One for the record books. But seeing as Wolfram was nearing the end of his pregnancy, it was no wonder that he was exhausted enough to actually listen to Gisela’s orders.

Chuckling softly, Yuri quietly approached the bed. Parting the curtains, Yuri glanced down at his slumbering fiancé. He smiled at the sight. His angel. He suppressed a laugh. If Wolfram knew that he was being referred to as an “angel” and by his own husband-to-be, Yuri would never father another child. But it would be well worth the sacrifice.

Wolfram had changed into the black nightgown that Yuri had bought for him awhile back. Maybe buying the nightgown in that particular color had been a bad choice. It made Wolfram’s already pale, creamy complexion look nearly ghost-like, almost like a vampire who had gone without seeing the sun for several centuries. But it was a good contrast against his golden locks and emerald green eyes.

The red quilt, which matched the red velvet curtains, had been kicked to the foot of the bed. His gaze wandered to the rather large baby bump that was peeking out from under the white sheet. The fact that Wolfram was showing meant that he was nearing the end of his gestation cycle and could go into labor any day now, which was why there was such a rush for the two of them to get married. The old-school traditionalists wanted Wolfram and he wed before the Demon Prince was born (everybody was “absolutely certain” it was going to be a boy by the way Wolfram was “carrying”). Unfortunately, arranging a royal wedding at the last possible second was not something that could be done so easily. So it was like a head-to-head race. Nobody was certain who would cross the finish line first.

A soft expression crossed Yuri’s face. Whoever would have thought his future would include another man by his side?

_Shuichi narrowed his eyes. “This has nothing to do with society or how you were raised,” he continued. His aunt Jennifer was very open-minded and the least prejudicial person in the world. Not even the Pope can say that. Shuichi could not even say that about himself. “No. This is about ‘him’. Isn’t it?”_

Yuri’s grip on the red velvet curtains tightened.

 

* * *

 

**Two Years Ago – Shibuya Residence -- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**

The color having drained completely from his face and feeling slightly nauseous as his stomach churned, Yuri stared blankly at the television set with obsidian eyes gone too wide.

Images too fast to make out clearly flashed through his mind. He attempted to push them aside before he was able to decipher them, but they came unbidden over and over again, no matter how hard he tried to block them.

There was not much from that time that he could remember, for which he would forever be eternally grateful. He could only remember being dressed up in girls’ clothing because his mother refused to let him forget it. Why he had never said anything was beyond him. Maybe it was because he had been a little kid and had not known any better. Actually, at the time, he had thought it was normal. That was until he found out differently. His poor mother had been heart broken. As had Shori, but only because Yuri had started to rebel against his older brother’s over-protectiveness. His father on the other hand had never been more enthusiastic in his life.

But there was something else he could remember from back then. It was something he believed, until now, had been buried and long forgotten, but unfortunately, it was as clear as if it had just happened. Why was it that he could not remember what they had for dinner last night, but he could clearly recall something like this that happened over a decade ago that he would give anything to forget? That was just not right.

_“You’re gross!”_

Yuri hefted himself off the couch and stumbled across the room to the sliding glass doors. He fumbled for the handle and slid the door open. Staggering out onto the back porch, he collapsed onto his knees. He dropped his face in his hands as he broke out into a cold sweat. His heart was pounding wickedly. His breath came out in wheezing pants.

Shuichi watched his young cousin sadly. Pushing up off the armchair, he crossed towards him silently.

The incident was not something Yuri ever talked about and for good reason. Shuichi could see that it still affected him greatly. But it was something that Yuri had to learn to let go. He could not let it control his life or his actions forever. Otherwise, he was going to end up wondering “what if” for the rest of his life. Shuichi knew that better than anyone else did.

“Yuri,” he called softly.

Yuri shook his head. Back and forth. Over and over again. He clapped his hands over his ears, trying to get that mocking voice to stop echoing in his head.

_“Gross!”_

Shuichi wanted to press the issue of that boy from Yuri’s past, but knew that nothing good would come from it. At least, not now. Not while Yuri was like this. It would only cause more harm then good. So, he decided to try another route. “The first time you saw Wolfram.”

Yuri’s movements halted.

“Think back,” Shuichi instructed. “What was your very first impression?”

Slowly, Yuri unfurled himself as he remembered that day.

He was arriving at the capital with Conrart and Günter, greeting the people, being given numerous bouquets. But then Ao was spooked by a bee and took off at super sonic speed towards the castle. Gwendal had been able to stop the stampeding horse and calm Ao down, but not before Ao bucked and tossed Yuri to the ground. And that was when he saw him. With an insult on his lips-

_“Do you mean to say that he is the new Demon King?”_

-and an air of arrogance about him, as if he felt it was only natural that he look down at all others besides him. That luscious, golden mane with its gentle waves. Those emerald eyes burning with barely concealed licks of fire. That blue uniform that fit him perfectly.

_“He is handsome.”_

It was something that had just slipped out. He had not even thought about it. It was a fact, just like knowing that day follows night or that Polaris is the current North Star. Yuri had no problem admitting that Wolfram was a handsome guy. But did that constitute him being in love with him? Was he gay?

Aah!

He just did not know anymore. The first tear slid down his cheek.

Shuichi saw the confusion, the mix of emotions racing across his cousin’s face. “I can’t give you the answers you so desperately seek,” he whispered kindly. “Only you can do that. But I will tell you this.”

Yuri lifted his head and peered at his cousin.

“I hate seeing you looking so upset and so confused all the time. I hate seeing you running from who you really are.”

“Shuichi.”

“Whether you are gay, straight, bi, a queen, a transvestite, or something else entirely…” Shuichi shook his head. “They are just labels, words made up of letters. Nothing more. Nothing less. Words do not constitute a person’s worth, his personality, what or who he really is. A person’s actions do that. Labels are for packages and you are so much more than that!”

For some reason, that made Yuri feel a little better. His head started to clear. His chest did not feel as tight.

“I’ll leave you with something Yuki’s brother asked me once: did you fall in love with Wolfram because he is a guy? Or did the person you happened to fall in love with just happen to be a guy?”

Yuri’s eyes widened a fraction.

 

* * *

 

**Present -- Covenant Castle -- Great Demon Kingdom**

Yuri perched on the edge of the bed and brushed a golden curl off Wolfram’s forehead.

_“…Did you fall in love with Wolfram because he is a guy? Or did the person you happened to fall in love with just happen to be a guy?”_

He remembered not being able to sleep a wink that night. His mind had been a jumbled mess. His conversation with Shuichi just kept revolving over and over and over again in his head. By the time the sun was starting to peek out above the horizon, Yuri had finally come to a decision.

Without seeing either the school officials or his baseball coach, he slipped quietly out of bed and returned to the Great Demon Kingdom. As it happened, it turned out to be the middle of the night here. He snuck into his bedchamber, much as he just did, and found to his surprise that Wolfram was sleeping alone. The two of them have gotten into the habit of having Greta with them at night whenever the other one was not going to be there. Of course, before being confronted with his feelings by his cousin, Yuri had never wondered why that was. Or why even though his daughter was there, he still tossed and turned at night when Wolfram was not there. He ended up spending the entire night watching Wolfram sleep. Of course, when Wolfram woke up and discovered what Yuri had been doing all night long, he called him “a creepy pervert”, even though his face had been as red as a stop sign.

Yuri chuckled softly.

 

* * *

 

**Two Years Ago**

Tossing aside the covers, Wolfram swung his legs over the side of the bed as he continued to grumble softly, but found his way impeded when he went to stand up. “Huh? Yuri. Move. You’re in the way wimp.”

“Wolfram…”

“What?”

“I-I, uhm…”

“What? Stop stuttering and speak up. I cannot understand a word you are saying. And why is your face all red?”

Yuri opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He knew what he wanted to say, but could not get the words out. For the love of the Great One, why was this so hard? Dealing with the Forbidden Boxes had been a breeze compared to this.

“Whatever wimp. I’ve got things to do.” Pushing aside Yuri none-too-gently, Wolfram stood up and brushed passed his stammering fiancé towards the armoire.

Without thinking, Yuri’s hand shot out and clamped around Wolfram’s wrist.

“Wha-? Yuri? What are you doing? Let go of me.”

Yuri shook his head. He was not sure if what he felt for his fiancé was love or not, but he did know one thing: his cousin was right. He did indeed have feelings for Wolfram and they went well beyond that of mere friendship and they have ever since he first met the fiery blond.

Wolfram felt a hard tugging on his arm and before he knew what was happening, he found himself on his back in the middle of the bed with Yuri on top of him. Wolfram’s face turned several shades of red. He opened his mouth to demand that the wimp of a King get off him, but found himself being kissed before the thought was half finished. His eyes went wide. His mind went blank. What was happening? What was Yuri doing? Did he have any idea what he was doing to him?

After what seemed like an eternity, Yuri pulled back. His face was as bright red as Wolfram’s. “I like you Wolfram,” he blurted out before he lost his nerve. “I really, really like you.”

A slow smile crossed Wolfram’s face, but he hardened his expression and threw a glare at him instead. “You better, you damned wimp. I’m not marrying myself here.”

Yuri chuckled and clunked their foreheads together.

 

* * *

 

**Present**

There was a saying--a saying he never really understood until that day--about feeling as if a weight had been lifted from your shoulders. He had to agree with the saying one hundred and fifty percent. Though, a more accurate metaphor for how he felt after the world shattering realization would be being able to clearly see the road ahead after the fog dissipated.

Confessing his feelings for Wolfram had been the best decision of his life for now, he finally understood, completely. A weight he had not known was there was suddenly gone. He felt lighter. As if there was less gravity weighing him down. He was happier. More carefree. He was in love. As idiotic or sappy as it sounded (even to him), he had felt as giddy as a schoolgirl experiencing her first crush.

From a certain point of view, his sudden turn around did almost seem a little unreal. To spend all those years safely behind his blinders, having tried (and failed) to convince himself that it was somehow wrong to have those types of “unnatural feelings” for another guy, even though he had never really understood why. That he could never possibly be as happy as he could be with a woman by his side. He had been too afraid of what people would say or what they would think about him, how society would treat him. But then for him to do a complete one-eighty virtually overnight…? It did not seem true to real life somehow. He knew how it looked and he understood those who would question him. Sometimes, he even questioned it himself, but then he would gaze at Wolfram and his heart would swell with pride and a wave of emotion would overcome him and then he would throw all those doubts to the wind. Sometimes, all it takes was a hard slap upside the head for one to come to his senses. A butterfly flaps its wings in New England and a tsunami washes away a village in Indonesia.

Shuichi was right. Whether he was gay or bisexual or something else entirely, he knew without a doubt that even if he could, he would not change anything about his life.

He did not care what other people thought anymore. He had never been happier in his life than he was right now.

 

* * *

 

Gwendal turned the corner and to his relief spotted two Black Knights standing at attention outside His Majesty’s bedchamber, but he was not going to let his guard down just yet. With His Majesty’s ever-increasing powers, there was no telling what the boy was capable of and the fact that Yuri could vanish from within a locked room (a room whose lock has been broken since Gwendal himself was a child), was evident of that.

The Black Knights snapped to attention as he approached.

“Is Wolfram in His Majesty’s chamber?”

Gwendal still refused to refer to Yuri’s bedchamber as anything other than that.

“Yes sir. As per Lady Gisela’s orders.”

“Good.”

Shaking his head, Conrart sighed. He was supposed to be His Majesty’s personal bodyguard, protecting him from any and all threats, but when he was entrusted with this task, he had no idea that one of those threats would be his own big brother. As the elder sibling, he knew that one felt a sense of responsibility towards one’s younger siblings, but sometimes Gwendal went a little overboard. Conrart really had to find a girlfriend for Gwendal.

 

* * *

 

Leaning over, Yuri whispered softly in Wolfram’s ear.

Emerald eyes soon fluttered open. “Yuri?” Wolfram slurred sleepily when the double black Demon King came into view.

Yuri smiled down at the mother of his unborn child. “Hey,” he greeted as he caressed Wolfram’s cheek, noticing not for the first time how soft it was.

Wolfram covered his mouth as a yawn seized him. He had never meant to fall asleep, but he had just been so tired. “What are you doing?”

“Watching you sleep.”

Wolfram cocked an eyebrow. “Whoever knew you were such a pervert?”

_Said the man who was blushing._ Yuri chuckled. “C’mon,” he said.

“Why?” Wolfram asked suspiciously.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Trying to calm his suddenly racing heart, Wolfram asked, “What sort of surprise? Where are we going?”

“Well, if I told you,” Yuri said, leaning his face closer to Wolfram’s, “it would not be much of a surprise, would it?”

Wolfram’s blush that had begun to fade blazed back to life. He studied the man who was an integral part of his life. Just what was his wimp up to?

They both turned their attention to the chamber doors when they suddenly heard voices. One of those voices sounded a lot like Gwendal.

Yuri gulped. _Uh, oh,_ he thought uneasily. Looked like they were this close to being busted.

Wolfram glanced sharply at Yuri. “What did you do now wimp?” he demanded through squinted eyes.

Scratching the back of his head, Yuri laughed nervously. “Well, you see…”

Wolfram heaved a sigh.

 

* * *

 

Grabbing the “L” shaped door handles, Gwendal threw open the double doors and strode purposefully into the King’s bedchamber.

Startled, the Black Knights glanced uncertainly between the Commander in Chief and the Captain. What should they do?

Conrart sighed, again, and held up his hand to soothe their fears.

The men nodded once and returned to their posts.

Gwendal advanced towards the bed. Grabbing the closed heavy velvet curtains, Gwendal tossed them aside, nearly tearing them in the process and was startled to a standstill. He felt his anger dwindle and die at the sight before him.

“I told you, did I not?” Conrart spoke up softly from behind his brother. He stepped up besides Gwendal and gazed down at the royal couple, asleep in each other’s arms. “His Majesty is not like the others.”

“That still remains to be seen,” Gwendal growled.

“His Majesty would do nothing that would bring harm to or would dishonor Wolfram.”

With a humph, Gwendal dropped the curtains and marched from the chamber.

“I thought you and His Majesty had come to an understanding?” Conrart called after him.

“That was before he got Wolfram pregnant.”

Conrart suppressed the urge to sigh yet again. After straightening the curtains, he too backed out of the chamber. He bowed deeply towards the bed that shielded His Majesty and Wolfram as he shut the doors quietly.

 

* * *

 

Back in the King’s chamber, the figures curled up together on the bed sputtered like a flame in the breeze before flickering out of existence all together.

 

**…To Be Continued…**

 

**(1)** Conway, D.J. Celtic Magic. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1998

 


	5. The Temple of the Water Dragons

**Chapter 5: The Temple of the Water Dragons**

One by one, all of his earliest memories were being swallowed up by a bottomless black abyss hidden beneath a thick layer of impenetrable fog. He could recall nothing from back then anymore. They were just a vague recollections. No, that was wrong. There was something he could remember.

It happened such a long time ago and yet Yuri could remember it as clearly as if it just happened. He could not recall how old he was at the time. He could not even remember if he even started going to school yet. If he was to wager a guess, he would have to say no, but he was not certain. The one fact he was sure of was that it happened before he learned that mothers were supposed to dress their little boys as boys and not in frilly little dresses with lace and bows because they wished they had a little girl instead.

While Yuri could no longer recall what he looked like, he did remember all too well, what his name was: Kojiro (1).

 

* * *

 

**Two Miles from Covenant Castle**

The sound of Wolfram’s voice snapped Yuri out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

“Who the hell is that?”

From atop his black stallion, Ao, Yuri searched the countryside for whomever his husband-to-be was referring to, but saw not a soul besides the two of them and the small contingent of guards (both Yuri’s Back Knights and Wolfram’s own personal guards in their stuffy, rigid blue uniforms) who stumbled upon the royal couple in the stables preparing their horses for a quick getaway.

Of course, there was no choice but to allow the guards to accompany them. King and the Royal Consort or not, the soldiers assigned to protect their monarch and his family knew that if they let Yuri and Wolfram out of their sights again, their lives would be forfeit. Who knows what punishment would be handed out to them for letting the king disappear from right under their noses? They could argue until they were blue in the face or until the cows came home, whichever came first, that it was difficult to protect a king who could transport himself from here to there in a nanosecond. But the Ten Aristocrats did not want excuses, whether they were true or not. What they wanted were results and losing their assigned charge was not a result that anybody wanted to see. And the last thing Yuri wanted was to be the cause of his men getting into trouble, especially for something they had no control over. It irked Yuri to no end, but even though he was the king, nothing he could say to defend the soldiers would have any affect on the punishment those poor men would receive for what would be called a “dereliction of duty”. Besides, was it really that bad to have a couple of guards with them?

Yuri felt like a complete and total ass for causing his people such stress and fear. He really had not been thinking at all--not that that would be news to Wolfram. But really, at the time, he was thinking only about getting away; he’d had to get out of there. All this stress and pressure surrounding his pending marriage to Wolfram had became way too much. All he needed was some time to himself to breath. Was that too much to ask for? He felt extremely guilty for the way he went about trying to gain a second of breathing room, though.

“Who is what? What are you talking about Wolfram?” Yuri asked turning back to face Wolfram who rode besides him atop his own gleaming white mare.

“This Kojiro person you keep muttering about.”

Yuri went still. His face went white. Dear Great One Shinou! Had he actually said that aloud? Oh Gods, no! Yuri felt faint. He knew he would have to confess to Wolfram this last secret someday, but he was far from ready. He wondered if he would ever be.

“Well, Yuri?” Wolfram demanded. “You better answer me wimp.”

Think Yuri. Think! His obsidian eyes scanned the distant horizon feebly, as if he might somehow find the answer lying hidden among the landscape. “Aah! Uhm. Well. You see,” he stammered pathetically. But his mind was a complete blank! Dammit!

“Is he another new man?” Wolfram inquired through squinted emerald eyes.

“What?!” Yuri spun his head around so fast he got a crick in his neck. “C’mon Wolfram.” Yuri was incensed that the blond Demon would even think such a thing. They had been together how long now? And Wolfram was still finding ways to accuse him of being a cheating wimp, though Yuri could not really blame Wolfram this time as he‘d been muttering some guy’s name.

“Then who is he?”

As Yuri fought to come up with an explanation that Wolfram would not want to behead him over, Yuri caught sight of his infuriated fiancé release a hand from the reigns of his horse to rub his swollen belly. “Baby,” Yuri blurted.

Wolfram blinked. “What?”

“I, uh, mean, I was, uhm, thinking it was a good name for the baby?” Yuri winced at how pathetic he sounded.

Wolfram glared at him for a second longer before glancing away. “Kojiro,” he sounded out as he sat pondering the name. “Hm. Not bad.”

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief.

Wolfram nodded. “Yes. It sounds like a good, strong name for a son.”

Yuri mentally kicked himself in the ass.

“I personally was thinking of Sibilia, Seraphina or Amalia.”

“Aren’t those girls names?”

“What of it?” Wolfram barked.

Yuri raised his hands in surrender. “Just wondering.”

Wolfram turned away with a “humph”. “Of course they’re girls names.”

“But-”

“Then there are Twila or Theckla.”

Yuri sighed heavily. Here we go again, he thought. “Wolfram, what if it’s a boy?”

“It’s not,” Wolfram answered without any preamble.

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

Wolfram had put his foot down on the subject, Yuri realized. “Oh, boy,” he muttered.

Everybody in the castle, including Gisela, believed Wolfram was having a boy. Their reasoning? The way Wolfram was carrying. Whatever.

It was too bad there was no machine that could tell them either way like there was back on Earth, but Yuri refused to trust Anissina to build a proper sonogram machine. Her inventions had a habit of being unreliable. Sometimes they worked. Sometimes they did not. Sometimes they worked, but not as they were supposed to. Yuri was afraid to test any of her inventions on his pregnant fiancé until there was sufficient proof that they actually worked like they were supposed to. The last thing he wanted was for her invention to malfunction while it was being tested on Wolfram.

Younger sister to one of the Ten Aristocrats or not, best friend to the Commander in Chief or not, if one of Anissina’s inventions caused any harm to the King, the Prince Consort or the Royal Heir, Yuri was afraid of what the consequences would be for her.

It was too bad they could not go to an Earth doctor, but Wolfram was a boy after all. That would cause troubles in and of itself. He wondered if Bob knew of any doctors that could be trusted.

Anyway, while everybody in the castle was placing bets on them having a boy, Wolfram believed beyond any shadow of a doubt that he was having a girl. Yuri himself could care less if it was a boy or a girl. Though something Greta said the other day got him into thinking though, “Maybe it’ll be one of each.” It was certainly possible. Though Yuri was afraid to say anything to Wolfram for fear of decapitation (or something much worse), Wolfram was clearly bigger than Yuri thought he should be, even though he was nearing the end of his pregnancy. He wondered.

 

* * *

 

**Same Time -- Covenant Castle**

Commander in Chief, Gwendal Von Voltaire scribbled his signature at the bottom of document after document as he muttered crossly under his breath. Once again, he was the one completing paperwork that His Majesty should be doing.

Leaning against the wall on the far side of the room with his arms crossed over his chest, Conrart sighed heavily.

“As soon as His Majesty awakes from his nap, I would like to speak with him.”

“Of course, Gwendal.”

Maybe once the baby was born, Gwendal would start to calm down. One could only hope.

 

* * *

 

**Two and a Half Miles from Covenant Castle**

As they crested a rise, a gleaming building of gold came into view.

“Wow! What an impressive looking place,” Wolfram exclaimed as he brought his mare to a halt.

Yuri nodded in agreement, as he reigned in Ao besides him. That was what he thought the very first time he stumbled upon it. It happened after another failed attempt at teleporting. “It reminds me of Rokuon-ji.”

“And who exactly is that?” Wolfram demanded.

“It’s a what, Wolfram, not a who,” Yuri sighed. “The Rokuon-ji is a temple in Kyoto back in Japan. It means ‘Deer Garden Temple’.”

Informally known as the Golden Pavilion Temple, the Rokuon-ji was built originally as a retirement villa for the Shogun. It was the Shogun’s son who converted the building into a Zen temple. The Rokuon-ji is a three-story building, the top two stories covered with pure gold leaf, that houses the Buddha's ashes. The Rokuon-ji is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden with a mirror pond. (2)

“So, this is a temple,” Wolfram assumed.

Yuri nodded. “Yes.”

“What sort of temple? Like the Tomb of the Great One? By the way, where exactly are we are?” Wolfram inquired for the first time as he glanced around.

“A good two or three miles from the castle.”

They were in a valley surrounded on three sides by mountains. The soothing sounds of the stream they crossed a little ways back could still be heard. The valley floor before them was covered in a carpet of sourin katabira flowers. Their sweet fragrance filled the air.

The temple itself, which looked more like a pagoda than an actual Japanese temple, was five stories high and instead of being covered in gold leaf, was made entirely from solid gold. It gleamed majestically in the late afternoon sunshine.

“Come on,” Yuri said as he urged Ao ahead.

Wolfram and the guards followed in his wake. “Isn’t it a little too early in the season for the sourin katabira flowers?”

Yuri shrugged. “They grow here all year round.”

“Really? Isn’t that odd.”

 

* * *

 

As they approached the temple, the golden structure became even more impressive and awe-inspiring.

“Are those figures carved into the façade?” Wolfram inquired as Yuri helped the pregnant demon down from his horse.

“Yes. They go all the way around and up to the top.”

“I wonder what they are. Do you think they have significance you think?”

Yuri shrugged. “Beats me. I’m sure they do.”

“Hm.” Wolfram waddled closer to the structure and tilted his head back. He glanced up at the golden temple, squinting as something caught his attention. “What is that?” he pointed.

After handing the reigns of the horse over to one of Wolfram’s men, Yuri strolled up behind his fiancé and followed his finger. There at the very top of the temple was what appeared to be a small statue of some kind.

“Are those…dragons?”

“It sure looks like it.”

“I wonder if this is the Temple of the Water Dragons,” Wolfram pondered softly almost as he was speaking to himself. “I heard it existed but no one has ever been able to find it. I thought it was nothing more than a myth.” But here it was in all of its magnificence. It truly was something to behold. Never in his wildest dreams did Wolfram believe he would ever be in its presence.

“What are you talking about, Wolfram?”

“What do you mean what am I talking about?” Wolfram snapped back.

“I believe he is referring to the triumvirate of water dragons you summon, Your Majesty,” one of the Black Knights clarified.

“Oh!” Yuri’s face flushed in embarrassment. “You mean they have their own temple?”

Wolfram scoffed at the incompetence of his fiancé. “Of course they do.” Without explaining any further, Wolfram started up the stairs.

“Wolfram? Hey, Wolfram,” Yuri called after the blond demon prince. “C’mon Wolfram!” Scratching his head, the Demon King sighed. He then turned to Hussein, the captain of the Black Knights. “What do you know about this Temple of the Water Dragons?”

“Well, Sire, the Temple of the Water Dragons is a legendary temple, something from myth and legend. It’s sung about in folktales. Whispered about around campfires. Many have gone about searching for the legendary temple over the millennia, but none have succeeded in their quest. It’s said only a very select few could find the temple and even fewer could actually find their way inside, but if you were one of those few people blessed with the privilege, you’re granted a wish.”

“A wish, huh?”

“Yes, Sire.”

“Wow. Wonder why Lady Alese never told me any of this?” Yuri wondered aloud as he started up the temple stairs after his infuriated fiancé.

 

* * *

 

Halfway up the steep flight of stairs, Yuri paused and glanced down at his struggling fiancé. “Are you sure you don’t want help, Wolfram?”

Wolfram glared up at Yuri. “Of course not,” he snapped breathlessly. How insulting! To think he would need help from his wimp of a king to climb a simple set of steps. Please! As Yuri watched, Wolfram brushed passed him red faced and winded. His men hurried after their captain. “I am perfectly capable of reaching the top by myself.”

Yuri shook his head. Wolfram was stubborn as ever. “You know, we could rest if you want,” he suggested as he followed Wolfram up the stairs. “And there is no shame is asking for help, Wolfram. I can just ask the water dragons to-”

Cutting Yuri off, Wolfram wheezed, “I am fine.”

Yuri sighed.

 

* * *

 

Once they finally reached the top, Yuri turned and scanned the horizon. “Wow! Look at that view!” He could not be sure, but he thought he spied Covenant Castle in the distance. It was strange to be able to see all the way to the castle from here, which is nearly three miles away, and yet not be able to see the temple from the castle. He wondered if there was some sort of spell placed upon the temple that kept it hidden from intruders and trespassers. It made sense, especially seeing as nobody, or almost nobody, has been able to find the temple.

“Shut up…you wimp,” Wolfram panted from besides him.

Yuri glanced at his fiancé. “Are you sure you’re alright Wolfram?”

Pushing himself up to his full height, Wolfram glared almost evilly at Yuri.

Yuri gulped and felt a slight twinge of fear race down his spine.

Crossing his arms over his bulging belly, Wolfram turned his back to Yuri with a “humph” and waddled towards the temple’s double doors, which opened automatically before him.

Yuri swore that if he impregnated Wolfram again, he would personally castrate himself.

 

* * *

 

If it was possible, the inside of the temple was even more extraordinary than the exterior. It resembled a lavish mosque or basilica more than anything else with the solid gold columns that were carved with different scenes, figures and prayers that did not seem to have been placed in any particular order or location. White marble encircled the columns at the top and base. Brightly colored square inch mosaic tiles covered the interior from the floor all the way to the ceiling creating beautiful murals. At the end of a white marble runner that ran down the middle of the room at the back of the temple (or was it the front?) was a solid gold altar.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” came a quite voice from behind them.

Startled, for they had not heard anyone approaching, the group turned as one. The Black Knights immediately encircled their king as Wolfram’s men encircled him. Their swords were at the ready at once.

Yuri peered around the black shield to see who at first glance appeared to be nothing more than a child the same age as Greta, but this “girl” had long pink hair that swept the floor as she walked. Her large yellow eyes sparkled in amusement. The gleaming white robes she wore reminded him of the robes the Buddhist monks back in Japan wore. He recognized her at once. “Lady Alese,” Yuri greeted. “It’s okay guys. She’s no threat.”

“You mean to say she is the priestess here?” Wolfram said he stepped up besides Yuri as the soldiers stepped aside. Wolfram wondered if she were related to Ulrike or Undine. For a rare race of people, there seemed to be a lot of them around.

“Yes, I have been the priestess here at the Temple of the Water Dragons for a very long time,” Lady Alese explained.

“So this is the Temple of the Water Dragons?”

“Oh, yes, Your Highness, it is.”

“It really does exist,” muttered one of Wolfram’s men.

The others muttered and whispered amongst themselves.

“You must be Lord Wolfram.” Lady Alese inclined her head in greeting.

Wolfram nodded his head curtly.

“So, Your Majesty, shall we get started?”

Wolfram glanced from Lady Alese to Yuri and back. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Get started with what? What’s going on here wimp?”

Yuri gulped.

“Oh my! You didn’t tell him Your Majesty?”

Yuri scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, about that. I, uh, kinda forgot.”

Wolfram turned to face Yuri. “Forgot what? What exactly is going on?”

“Uhm, well…You see…”

“This is your wedding Your Highness.”

Emerald eyes went wide. Wolfram spun around. “What?!”

 

* * *

 

“Among the Humans, handfasting is an old pagan ritual of marriage and it remained legal in some countries until only recently, even after several acts were passed banning it as being ‘an instrument of the heathens’.”

Yuri gulped. “You mean…”

“Yes,” Lady Alese said with a nod as she strolled up the aisle with the King and his fiancé. “Because of its association with the Demons, it was outlawed, but among much of the Human population it remains the only way that couples can get married.”

“Why’s that?” Yuri asked. “The only way?”

“Because, Your Majesty, only the wealthy and affluent can afford a church wedding among the humans.”

Yuri blinked. That was news to him.

“It was even used as an instrument through which couples became engaged.”

“An engagement ceremony? I’ve never heard of that,” Wolfram said.

Lady Alese nodded. “Actually, the tradition among the Demon nobility of slapping one’s left cheek is descended from this ceremony.”

Yuri was impressed. “Really?”

“Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”

“How?”

“I am not entirely sure of the exact details. It’s lost behind myth and legend, but what I do know is that the tradition actually began with a couple, usually of noble birth, going through the ceremony with their left hands clasped together instead of both hands, but the cord is not actually tied. Instead of becoming his wife, this ceremony signifies that the woman was his Courtier, his lawful mistress, and while she is provided for during and even after she is dismissed, she could not claim the name, inheritance, or property of her ‘husband’. Any children they had would be taken care of as legal heirs but only second in line to the man’s legal and first wife, though. This custom is actually still in practice today.”

Wolfram nodded. That he did know, unfortunately, all too well. His father had taken a Courtier while married to his mother. If his mother had taken one, her lover would have been known as the Royal Consort. Only the monarch of a country could have one. If an accident would have befallen his father while his parents were married, the Royal Consort would have filled in for him until his father was well enough to return to his duties. Much like the relationship between a President and Vice President of a nation. Before they were legally married, his father was known as the Royal Consort. And it was the same with him. As soon as Yuri and he were legally married, Wolfram would no longer be known as the Royal Consort, but as the Royal Prince.

Over the centuries, this practice of taking a lover has become somewhat of a tradition among those of the nobility, but that did not mean that he had to particularly care for it. If Yuri ever decided to take part in this custom, Wolfram would personally skin him alive.

“After handfasting was banned in Human territory,” Lady Alese was saying, “the couples began performing the handfasting themselves before only a few witnesses. Usually, close friends or family. That way it lessened the risk of the officials discovering what was going on. The very word ‘handfasting’ got it’s origin in the wedding custom of tying the bride’s and groom’s hands together, well wrists actually. In some versions, this is only done for as long as the ceremony lasts, but in others, the cord is not untied until the marriage is physically consummated.”

“Tying the knot, huh,” Yuri said. “I wonder if this’s where that phrase came from.”

“Why, yes, it is Your Majesty.”

“Really?”

Lady Alese nodded.

“Wow. Cool.”

“What are you talking about now you wimp?” Wolfram demanded.

“Huh? Oh, uhm, nothing. It’s just…You ever heard of that saying, ‘Tying the knot’? You know when a couple gets married? I always wondered where it came from and why people said it, but now I know that it comes from this old tradition of tying your hands together during the wedding ceremony.”

Wolfram continued to stare at Yuri silently for several long seconds before turning away, muttering, “whatever” under his breath.

Yuri sighed and shook his head. “You’re the one who wanted to know Wolfram.”

Wolfram remained silent.

“Did you know that the act of tying your hands together is derived from an ancient conjunction?” Lady Alese asked.

Yuri blinked stupidly. “An ancient what?”

Wolfram rolled his eyes and muttered, “Wimp.”

Yuri threw him a glare.

Lady Alese giggled. “It’s a symbolic representation, Your Majesty.”

“It means ‘infinity’,” Wolfram explained to his clueless fiancé.

“Oh!” Yuri felt his face flame in embarrassment. “Wait, you mean that sideways looking eight.”

Wolfram rolled his eyes. “Yes, that sideways looking eight (3).”

“Ah! Gotcha.”

“Among the Demon Tribe, handfasting still remains the main method of marriage,” Lady Alese continued.

“Of course there are other ways,” Wolfram added.

Lady Alese nodded. “Yes.”

Yuri sighed. He should have known. Probably something similar to how he proposed to Wolfram by slapping him. You drop a knife to challenge someone to a duel or pick up a dropped knife to accept the duel. Picking a spork off the ground represented a romantic triangle. Picking up both a spork and a knife meant you had the intention of stealing someone’s lover away. He really wanted to know who came up with these asinine ways of doing things. “And those would be?”

“If you are seen in public drinking together, it can be constituted as being married (4).”

Yuri suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy as the color drained out of his face. “Drinking…together…in public…” He gulped.

Wolfram grinned broadly as his stumbling fiancé. “What’s wrong Yuri?”

“N-nothing,” Yuri squeaked. It was just that Wolfram and he drank together in public how many times over the years? Did that mean that they were already married? Dear Great One. It was not that he disliked the idea of being married to Wolfram. Just the opposite. He just preferred to get married when he was actually ready.

Still grinning and highly amused by his fiancé's reaction, Wolfram turned towards Lady Alese. Maybe he should inform Yuri that this means of marriage was considered taboo nowadays? Naw. Better to let Yuri sweat about that for a little while longer. “So, Lady Alese. How are we going to do this?”

 

* * *

 

**Covenant Castle**

Conrart knocked lightly on the door of His Majesty’s chamber. “Your Majesty? Yuri?’ he called. “Are you awake?” Grabbing the handle, he gave it a swift jerk and pushed the door open. He stuck his head in and noticed that the heavy velvet drapes were still drawn around the bed. Assuming his king was still resting, Conrart bowed out and shut the door behind him. “Tell His Majesty that Lord Von Voltaire would like to speak with him when he awakens,” he ordered the Black Knight duo standing guard at Yuri’s door.

“Of course, My Lord,” they answered smoothly.

The two men glanced uneasily at each other as Conrart strode purposefully down the hall and then vanished from view. They hoped His Majesty King Yuri and the Royal Consort Lord Wolfram returned soon. Neither was sure how long this charade could continue.

 

* * *

 

**Temple of the Water Dragons – Half an Hour Later**

The royal couple was brought up to the third level by one of the temple maidens. Even though the main level where they were before was several stories above the ground, it was still considered the first level. Lady Alese had gone on ahead to start the dedication ritual. Wolfram and Yuri were to arrive after she finished.

The Dedication Ritual was a ceremony the celebrant, or temple priest or priestess such as Lady Alese, performed in order to dedicate the altar to the Goddess and God. It was one of the formal procedures that had to be done before any ceremony could be performed, not just a wedding.

Upon entering, the royal couple was astounded by the intense beauty and magnificence of the temple all over again. Unlike the main level with its mosaic tiles and golden altar with its golden statues of the three water dragons, the third level was covered from floor to ceiling in large gold tile. The seams where the tiles met were so seamless that the room appeared as if made from a single solid sheet. An altar similar to the one they had seen on the first floor was set in the back of the room and the pure silver of it contrasted sharply with the gold of the room. Two golden statues, one clearly male and the other obviously female, stood kiddy corner to a golden altar table.

“Are those…?”

“The Goddess and God,” Wolfram whispered back.

Upon the altar was a multitude of objects. Among those, a glass candleholder with a white candle, a brass candleholder with a red candle, a bowl of seashells in some sort liquid and a bowl of gemstones. Yuri knew from Günter that the white candle represented air. The red candle was a representation of fire. The seashells water and gemstones earth. There was also a plain looking chalice, a dagger that was just as plain, a small black cauldron, a broom that looked as if it were more for decoration than actual usage, an incense burner along with incense, a bell, sword similar in appearance to Wolfram’s, but more plain and ordinary looking, a wand of some sort and other items that he could not identify.

Scattered around the room were more flowers than he has ever seen in his entire life and he has been dragged to the Botanical Gardens with his mother every year for the greater part of his life. Yuri only knew the room they were led to by the temple maiden was gold because he could catch glimpses of it here and there. Situated amongst the flowers were more candles than he could count in candleholders of various sizes. Some were mere centimeters off the ground and others were several feet above their heads. Their flames danced off the gold and silver of the room creating a surreal, mystical feel.

They noticed that several candles around the room as well as on the altar remained unlit.

Yuri gave a sniff. There was a strong but familiar scent in the air, but he could not quite put his finger on what it was.

The temple maiden stepped aside and bowed Yuri and Wolfram through. The royal couple stepped forward and entered the circle of unlit candles. That was when Yuri noticed the crystals for the first time. The crystals and the candles circled the room alternately. Crossing the room, Yuri and Wolfram stopped before the altar and stood facing one another. Their guards as well as several temple maidens who seemed to have come from out of nowhere fanned out behind them.

Once everyone arrived, Lady Alese started the purification ritual. She lit the altar candles swiftly before circling the room in an anti-clockwise direction, lighting each quarter candle along the way. Arriving back at the altar, Lady Alese picked up the broom Yuri noticed earlier and swept the circle with swift sure strokes as Yuri and Wolfram walked within the circle, going in the same direction Lady Alese did to light the candles, just as they had been instructed by Günter during the endless hours of instruction they had been forced to endure.

As Lady Alese continued to sweep, she said, “Sweep, sweep, sweep this place/By Power of Air, I cleanse this space.”

Instantly, everybody within the circle could feel the air moving even though there was no breeze. Yuri cast Wolfram a glance. Their eyes locked. Blushing, they looked away.

Returning to the altar, Lady Alese picked up the red candle in the brass candleholder. She walked inside the circle, again moving anti-clockwise while saying, “Light, light, I light this place/By Power of Fire, I cleanse this space.” She concentrated on the Fire energy flowing around the circle before she returned to the altar and exchanged the red candle for the chalice. Yuri noticed that it was filled with water when Lady Alese dipped the fingers of her right hand inside the chalice and sprinkled the water on either side of her as she walked within the circle traveling anti-clockwise. She said, “Liquid, liquid, I wash this space/By Powers of Water, I cleanse this space.”

Yuri brushed away a droplet of water that landed on his cheek. He gave a start when Wolfram grabbed his hand.

The blond demon prince, without taking his emerald eyes off Yuri, brought Yuri’s finger to his mouth and licked the droplet of water off with his tongue.

Yuri suddenly felt the room grow warm.

Lady Alese felt the water energy flowing around the circle instantly. She breathed it in deeply with a smile. Returning to the altar, she picked up a bowl that Yuri had previously missed in his earlier inspection. He noticed it was filled with dirt as Lady Alese drew closer. Again walking in an anti-clockwise direction, she sprinkled the earth and said, “Dirt, dirt, as I walk this place/Powers of Earth, cleanses this space.” With that, the earth element brought to her her gift. It was nothing she could see or hear or smell. It was not a tangible object to be grasped. And yet she could feel it. She sensed it flowing around her and within her. It was like knowing you are pregnant without having any real proof. You just knew. It was a feeling of difference that you just cannot explain.

She returned the bowl of dirt to the altar and then strode into the center of the circle. With her arms outstretched, palms facing the sky (or in this case the ceiling), she turned her face up to the heavens.

“Goddess position,” Wolfram muttered under his breath before Yuri could say anything.

Yuri glanced briefly at his fiancé and soon to be husband and then returned his gaze back to Lady Alese.

Lady Alese chanted while still in the Goddess position, “Spirit, spirit, fill this space/Powers of the Divine, consecrate this space!” Immediately, she could feel a mysterious power enter the temple. It filled the sacred space. Then when there was nowhere else for it to go, it searched and that was when it found her. She recognized the energy as the Goddess and God. She welcomed it, accepted it eagerly.

Yuri cast a glance at Wolfram. His pregnant fiancé was watching Lady Alese almost as if hypnotized. He returned his gaze back to Lady Alese who had turned back to the altar. He had no idea what was going on, but the pressure had suddenly changed. It reminded him of when he flew out to Switzerland to see Bob, the Demon King of Earth. All of a sudden, his ears were plugged, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not seem to pop them.

Laying her hands upon the golden altar, Lady Alese’s voice filled the room. “This altar is dedicated to the Lord and Lady of Light. May it serve us well.” With that, the altar and circle were ready for the wedding ceremony. “Let us begin,” she said turning back to face the congregation.

Yuri gulped. His palms started to sweat. Suddenly, he felt very nervous.

 

* * *

 

**Tomb of the Great One, Hall of Oracles**

“Well,” Ken said as he gazed up at the cascade of water flowing silently down the wall behind the four Forbidden Boxes, “it seems Shibuya has decided to elope.”

“Really? Wow,” Lady Ulrike squealed from besides the Great Wise Man. With hearts in her eyes, she clasped her hands together. “How romantic!”

Ken gazed down at the 800-year-old woman in amusement. With a light chuckle, he turned back towards the waterfall. His dark eyes strayed up to the crest. It really was surprising. They may have gone to separate high schools, Yuri a public one and him a private school, but back in middle school they were in the same class and he never would have imagined their lives turning out like this, especially Yuri. He never knew Yuri had it in him. “I wonder how Lord Von Voltaire will take the news,” he pondered out-loud.

His inquiry was met with an uneasy silence.

Little did they know that they were not alone within the Hall of Oracles. Blue eyes darkened as they peered into the chamber.

 

* * *

 

**Temple of the Water Dragons**

“Greetings friends and family and welcome to this day of celebration,” Lady Alese’s voice boomed clearly around the room. Her butter yellow gaze swept over those gathered at the temple to bear witness to the special occasion. “We are united to witness the marriage of His Majesty Yuri Shibuya,” she smiled at Yuri who attempted to smile back, “and His Highness Wolfram Von Bielefelt.” She turned and smiled at Wolfram who beamed back. “We’ve been invited to share in the commitment they make to each other today. They ask your blessing on this joyful occasion.”

Yuri and Wolfram caught each other’s eye and blushed. Like when Wolfram reamed him out about the hickey, Yuri felt a sense of barbaric pride. It overrode his nervousness. Call it pride, arrogance, smugness, self-satisfaction, call it whatever you like, but it swelled within Yuri. Today, finally, Wolfram would be official his. Little did he know that Wolfram was thinking along the same lines.

“If life has any meaning to us at all,” Lady Alese continued, breaking into Yuri’s thoughts, “it possesses it because of love. Love enriches our demon experience. It is the reason for the peace in the family and the peace of the peoples of New Mazuku, especially among those of the Great Demon Kingdom. A meeting between two beings who are made for each other is a beautiful miracle.”

Yuri felt himself blushing. Two people who are made for each other. It certainly was a miracle that he was able to get over his prejudices and finally accept Wolfram. If his cousin had not stopped by for a visit that day, who knows how things would have unfolded. He thanked the Great One every single day for his good fortune.

“His Majesty and His Highness’ understanding of the true meaning of marriage has resulted from many influences; their families, their friends, and each of their own personal beliefs.”

Wolfram snorted. Got that right, he thought to himself. It was his “own personal beliefs” that kept Yuri in denial for all of those years and it was only with the influence of Yuri’s cousin that he was finally able to pull his head out of the sand. Damn wimp.

“We are here not only to strengthen the binds of His Majesty and His Highness’ love for each other but also to bring family and friends together to celebrate these same said bonds that hold us all together. What defines His Majesty and His Highness’ love today will change and grow to new depth in the future.”

Just knowing that Yuri returned his feelings was enough for Wolfram.

“It takes three seconds to say I love you, but it can take a lifetime to show it.”

Wolfram snorted.

Knowing exactly what his pregnant fiancé was thinking, Yuri threw him a glare.

Wolfram ignored him.

“This ceremony is the celebration of a single stage in a much larger process that is the love between two people. The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union. They will cross the years and lives of each soul’s growth. Do you seek to begin this ceremony?” Lady Alese asked, turning towards Yuri and Wolfram.

“Yes, we do,” Yuri and Wolfram answered in unison above their thumping hearts. Neither could believe this was actually happening. They were finally getting married.

“The demon soul shares characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief, which assigns virtues to the cardinal directions; North, South, East and West. Let us offer a traditional blessing in support of this hand-fasting ceremony. Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East: communication of the heart, mind and body, fresh beginnings with the rising of each sun, and the knowledge of growth found in the sharing of silence,” Lady Alese said, striking the Goddess pose as she turned to face the east.

She repeated this as she turned to face the south. “Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South: warmth of hearth and home, the heat of the heart’s passion and the light created by both to lighten the darkest of times.”

She turned towards the west. “Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West: the deep commitments of the lake, the swift excitement of the river, the refreshing cleansing of the rain and the all-encompassing passion of the sea.”

She turned towards the north. “Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North: firm foundation on which to build, fertility of the fields to enrich your lives, and a stable home to which you may always return.”

Finally, she turned to face Yuri and Wolfram. “Now I ask the couple to looks into each others’ eyes.”

Yuri and Wolfram turned to face one other. Their eyes locked. Both blushed. Butterflies danced in their stomachs as their hearts beat wildly and their breathing grew heavy. Neither has ever been so nervous in their entire lives. But in the end, it would be all worth it.

Lady Alese turned towards Yuri, “Will you cause him pain?”

“I may,” Yuri answered.

“Is that your intention?”

“No.” He would never willingly hurt Wolfram. He loved Wolfram with all his heart.

Next, Lady Alese turned towards Wolfram. “Will you cause him pain?”

“I may,” Wolfram said.

“Is that your intention?”

“No.”

“Will you share each other’s pain and seek to ease it?” Lady Alese asked both of them.

“Yes,” both Yuri and Wolfram answered in unison.

“And so the binding is made,” Lady Alese announced. “Join your hands.”

Yuri and Wolfram clasped hands. Right hand to right hand. Left hand to left hand. They created essentially the universal symbol for infinity with the joining of their hands. The symbolism was not lost on either of them. The black and emerald green silk chords braided together, with a golden charm tied amongst them, were draped across Yuri and Wolfram’s hands. On the charm was the symbol for “infinity” in the old demon language. It reminded Yuri of a rune stone he had seen in a New Age shop back in Japan once.

“Will you share his laughter?” Lady Alese asked Wolfram.

“Yes.”

Lady Alese turned towards Yuri. “Will you share his laughter?”

“Yes.”

She then turned to address the both of them. “Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?”

“Yes,” Yuri and Wolfram answered as one.

“And so the binding is made,” Lady Alese announced for the second time.

A second chord, similar to the first one, was draped across the couple’s hands.

Then Lady Alese turned towards Wolfram. “Will you burden him?” she asked him.

“I may,” Wolfram answered.

“Is that your intention?”

“No.”

“Will you burden him?” Lady Alese asked Yuri.

“I may.”

“Is that your intention?”

“No.”

“Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?” she asked of both Yuri and Wolfram.

“Yes,” they both answered.

“And so the binding is made,” Lady Alese announced for the third time.

A black silk chord was draped across their hands.

Lady Alese turned once again to Wolfram. “Will you share his dreams?”

That was a given. “Yes,” Wolfram said.

“Will you share his dreams?” she asked Yuri.

“Yes.”

“Will you dream together to create new shared realities?” she asked the two of them.

Both thinking of the child growing within Wolfram, they answered, “Yes.”

“And so the binding is made.”

A forth-silk chord, this time emerald green, was draped across their hands.

This time, Lady Alese turned towards Yuri. “Will you cause him anger?”

Yuri was sure he would. He was a wimp after all.

Wolfram smirked.

“I may,” Yuri said, choosing to ignore the blond prince.

“Is that your intention?”

Never. Aloud Yuri said, “No.”

“Will you cause him anger?” Lady Alese asked Wolfram.

Only because Yuri’s such a wimp, Wolfram thought with a smirk.

Yuri narrowed his eyes at the older demon. His grip tightened.

Not intimidated, Wolfram squeezed right back. “I may,” he said, but only because it was required.

“Is that your intention?”

“No.”

“Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?” Lady Alese asked of the Royal couple.

With as much “heat of anger” as Wolfram had, the strength of their union would be indestructible. Though, Yuri was one to talk. He had quite the temper as well, probably even more destructive than that of Wolfram’s. But that could only be a good thing. Look at his cousin and his partner.

“We will,” both answered.

“And so the binding is made,” Lady Alese announced for the fifth time.

A black silk chord was draped around their clasped hands.

Then Lady Alese turned towards Wolfram and asked, “Will you honor him?”

Wolfram nodded. “I will.”

“Will you honor him?” she asked Yuri.

Yuri turned from Lady Alese to Wolfram. Their eyes locked. “I will,” Yuri whispered.

Wolfram blushed in response.

Lady Alese smiled. “Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?” she asked them both.

“We shall never do so,” they once again answered in union.

“And so the binding is made.”

A sixth-silk chord, this one emerald green, was draped across their hands.

“The knots of this binding are not formed by these chords but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the chords, for always you will hold in your hands the making or breaking of this union.” Lady Alese stepped forward and gathered the ends of the six silk chords and tied the ends together.

Both Yuri and Wolfram felt a lump in their throats. Their eyes burned with unshed tears. Each could feel the other shaking.

Once the multitude of chords was tied together, Lady Alese slipped them off the Royal couples hands. Turning her back on the congregation, she held the circlet of silk fabric up over her head. “Spirit of Love, may His Majesty and His Highness know great love together, and may they live in the desire to always support each other in positive and uplifting ways. May they strengthen one another in sorrow, share with one another in gladness, and be companions to each other in times of silence. May their home be a haven, and whenever they are plagued by changing fortune, may they be united not in word and outward form alone, but by the presence of the hearts of each, of the deepening love they share.” Turning back around, she gazed from Yuri to Wolfram with a smile and said, “You are now married. Celebrate with a kiss.”

As the gathered temple maidens, Lady Alese, Wolfram’s soldiers as well as Yuri’s Black Knights hooted and hollered, whistled and applauded, shed tears and grinned at this momentous occasion, Yuri cupped Wolfram’s face gently in his hands and lowered his face towards his husband’s. He found himself blushing at that. Husband. Not fiancé, but husband. Wow. He pressed their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss that held the promise of what the future would bring (5). When he pulled back, both realized the other was crying. Yuri wrapped his arms around his husband and mother of his child and hugged him tightly. “I love you, Wolfram,” Yuri whispered into the soft blond hair.

“I love you, too, Yuri,” Wolfram whispered back.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Lady Alese,” Yuri said, turning towards Lady Alese.

Lady Alese curtsied. “It was my pleasure, Your Majesty.”

Suddenly there came a soft surprised sound from besides them.

Yuri glanced over his shoulder and saw Wolfram clutching his belly. “Wolfram? Are you okay?” he asked the Royal Prince.

Wolfram clutched his belly. He shook his head. “I, I think that…I think…”

Growing worried, Yuri approached Wolfram. “Wolf, what’s wrong?” he demanded.

Wolfram stared up into Yuri’s obsidian eyes full of concern. “I think…it’s time.”

“Oh, my,” Lady Alese exclaimed. Her hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes went wide.

His mind went blank. Yuri just blinked stupidly. “What? Time for what?”

Wolfram’s emerald eyes grew hard. “The baby’s coming you moron!” he snapped.

There was a growing murmur around them.

“The…baby?”

“Yeah, you know. The one you impregnated me with? The whole reason why we needed to get married so quickly?”

Eyes the color of the midnight sky went wide as realization dawned.

 

**…To Be Continued…**

**(1)** “Kojiro” was what Yuri called Wolfram by accident during the episode where they went to Big Cimaron as Caloria’s athletes in order to get one of the Four Forbidden Boxes. Liked it. Decided to go with it.  
 **(2)** This information is from wikipedia.  
 **(3)** This is all real info I got off the web at various sites that I just edited so that it could fit the storyline/world of KKM.  
 **(4)** True of 16th century Switzerland.  
 **(5)** There are many different versions of this ceremony. Even one for same sex couples. The one I used was for an M/F couple and one of the longer ones. I changed some of the wording around so that it fit this world and the fact that it was an M/M couple.

 


	6. The Royal Surprise

**Chapter 6: The Royal Surprise**

**Temple of the Water Dragon**

He could not remember another time in his entire life when he was more nervous than he was right now. The only instance that came to mind that even comes close to how he was feeling was when Nicola went into labor with El right after Lord Griesela Gegenhuber was welcomed back to the castle after being exiled for more than twenty years. In truth, that was nothing compared to what he was currently feeling as he paced restlessly in front of the steep three story high set of solid gold steps that led up to the main level of the temple.

The temple might remind him of the Rokuon-ji back in Kyoto, but the steep set of stairs that led to the main level three stories up from ground level was more like those of the Mayan temples he had seen on television. Apparently the Mayans, or maybe people in general back then, were a little on the shorter side, so the already steep steps would have been even more so, which would have caused them to basically “crawl” up, almost subservient-like, the stairs to the top where the priests were waiting to sacrifice them to their gods.

Yuri wondered if had been done on purpose.

His men, the Black Knights, were scattered around him. Their watchful eyes ever alert to the possible dangers around them. Wolfram’s men in their staunch royal blue uniforms were evenly spaced up the staircase. Every now and then one of them would look anxiously back up at the temple where their Lieutenant was secluded with Lady Alese and the other temple maidens.

Lady Alese had forbidden any of them from entering the temple. Wolfram’s men had not been too happy about that. It was their job to protect Wolfram at all times after all. But Lady Alese was one of the most stubborn people Yuri had ever met and she stood her ground.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Yuri halted his restless pacing long enough to look up at the golden structure gleaming ever majestically in the bright early evening sunlight and bit his lip. He was not sure how much time has lapsed since Wolfram went into labor. It was a good thing they eloped when they did. Gwendal’s biggest fear was that his nephew (he, like the others in the kingdom, believe Wolfram is carrying a boy) would be born out of wedlock.

Apparently, there was a strict taboo amongst the royals and those of the nobility to have children outside of marriage. Pregnancy seemed to be no big deal. But a couple had to marry before the due date. Otherwise the bastard child would be stigmatized its entire life. Yuri did not feel that was very fair. It was not the child’s fault that its parents had not practiced safe sex before marriage or had not been able to obtain a marriage license before the mother went into labor. The fact that a demon’s gestation cycle was only three months and not ten like it was back on Earth apparently was not an excuse. Royal Heir or not, any children Wolfram and he would have had before they were properly married, would have been looked down upon for the rest of their lives. It would not matter if Wolfram and he married after their child’s birth or not. A bastard is a bastard is a bastard. No wonder Gwendal and the others had been so adamant about this wedding. But it still did not make Yuri any more understanding about being pressured into marriage (it had not been the wedding part so much as the pressured part that had irritated Yuri).

It really had been a race against time. Even a rushed wedding takes time to plan, especially when everybody in the free world wants to attend the highly anticipated wedding of the Demon King and the Royal Consort.

He could just picture Gwendal now when Wolfram and he strolled back into the castle. Yuri gulped and shook that image aside quickly. Now was not the time to be worrying about his brother-in-law.

Yuri stilled. Wow. Who would have ever thought?

“Do not worry, Your Majesty,” Hussein said as he strolled up behind Yuri. “Lady Alese is a highly respected mid-wife.”

Distractedly, Yuri could only nod.

“His Highness will be alright.”

Yuri sure hoped the captain of his guard was right.

 

* * *

 

**Covenant Castle**

“Conrart.”

His big brother’s voice bellowed down the empty corridor towards him. Conrart dismissed his men with a curt nod and turned to watch as Gwendal strode towards him. The older demon had a black aura surrounding him. Conrart frowned, suspicious. “Gwendal,” he greeted cautiously. “Is something wrong?”

“Tell me His Majesty is in his chambers,” the Commander in Chief commanded.

“His Majesty?” Conrart blinked. “Why, yes, yes he is.”

Gwendal’s hardened blue eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes....Gwendal, what’s-?”

“Are you absolutely positive? Did you see him with your own two eyes?”

Conrart’s eyes narrowed. “Gwendal, what is this all about?”

“I just learned something--interesting about our young king.”

Conrart did not even realize that his body had automatically gone tense at the mere thought that His Majesty may be in danger until he started to relax. He dropped his hand from his sword. “What sort of news?” Knowing Gwendal, it would be something he had blown out of proportion. Surmising the intense black aura that Gwendal was exuding, Conrart was sure this news had something to do with their baby brother. He really had to find time to speak with Anissina. She and Gwendal have been friends their whole lives. Gwendal might not like to admit it (for good reason), but not only were the two of them best friends, but Anissina knew Gwendal better than anyone. So, if anyone could find his big brother a girlfriend, Anissina could. Though Conrart had a sneaking suspicion that any woman Anissina chose would be just like her. Now there was a scary thought. But at least then, he would ease off their little brother. Maybe. Hopefully.

“It seems your godson has not only sullied Wolfram’s good name…”

Conrart rolled his eyes and heaved a tired sigh.

“…he has gone and kidnapped him.”

Conrart’s eyebrow rose at that. He wondered what brought this on? “‘Kidnapped’? Come now, Gwendal. His Majesty and Wolfram are resting in their chamber. I just left there not too long ago.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Gwendal all but growled.

Conrart’s brow furrowed. He gazed after Gwendal as the Commander in Chief stalked down the hall most likely towards their king’s bedchamber.

Little did they know that the walls of Covenant Castle had ears.

 

* * *

 

**Temple of the Water Dragons**

Yanking his black hair tie out of his hair, Yuri’s raven black locks tumbled down around his shoulders. He racked his fingers through his hair. Interlocking his fingers behind his head within the silky black strands, he tipped his head back and stared up at the evening sky. The sky was blood red as the sun slowly fell behind the horizon. His head then fell heavily to the side. His worried obsidian snake slit eyes took in the temple. With a heavy sigh, he combed his hair with his fingers into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks, he stared down at his black boots as they trampled over the already worn path in his continued restless pacing. Every so often, he would glance back up the gleaming staircase, biting his lip. What was taking so long? It had not taken this long for little Elunsto (aka “El”) to be born. Had something happened? Had there been some sort of complication? Oh, by the Almighty, he hoped not! Maybe he should go check.

 

* * *

 

**Covenant Castle**

Whispers began spreading like wildfire across the castle grounds. From loose lips to eager ear. Nothing stayed secret for very long within Covenant Castle.

 

* * *

 

**Temple of the Water Dragons**

The horde of guards gave a start when their king flew passed them in a blur of color. One by one, they raced after him. If anything happened to the king on their watch, it would be their asses on the line.

The main entrance into the temple was at the head of a steep mountain of narrow steps just wide enough to accommodate a two year old’s foot comfortably. A double set of heavy, ornately carved, solid silver doors led into the open mosaic-tiled nave. Hussein Mueller, captain of the Black Knights that were assigned to protect His Majesty, the 27th Demon King, King Yuri, was amazed at how quickly his king climbed to the top of those three-story high set of stairs. He wasn’t even breathing heavily. Hussein was guessing it had little to do with rising at the crack of dawn each morning to run with Lord Weller and more to do with his king’s growing concern with Lord Wolfram. If their positions were reversed, Hussein couldn’t imagine feeling any differently.

Yuri raced across the open walkway with his hands stretched out before him towards the closed doors but before he could take more than two running steps, the wide set of doors that were more than a foot thick, swung open soundlessly. Slowing to a stop, Yuri waited with bated breath as out of the darkness appeared Lady Alese gleaming majestically against the backdrop of the black nothingness behind her.

“Lady Alese.” Yuri’s voice came out as a choked whispered.

There was a smattering of murmurings from behind Yuri, which was quickly silenced by a sharp command from Hussein.

Smiling, lady Alese stepped forward.

It was only then that Yuri noticed the small bundle swaddled in black Lady Alese cradled gently but securely in her arms. Tears prickled Yuri’s eyes. As he took a step forward, he was vaguely aware of Hussein glued to his side right along with Adele on his opposite flank.

Adele had not been too happy with him, to say the least, for disappearing like he had earlier. After apologizing profusely, Yuri promised Adele and the other Black Knights a considerable raise when they all returned to Covenant Castle. The soldiers deserved it after being forced into putting up with him.

“Your Majesty,” Lady Alese greeted in turn.

Yuri gulped. “Is that…?”

Lady Alese’s smile broadened. “Your Majesty. I would like to present to you Seraphina Liese Shibuya (1).”

Yuri’s heart gave a jolt.

“Your daughter.”

Cheers erupted around Yuri, but he did not react to the enthusiastic ovation. He couldn’t. He had gone absolutely still at the announcement. Daughter. His daughter. His and Wolfram’s daughter. Their child. A life the two of them had created together. Shaking, Yuri stepped forward to receive the wondrous gift.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” Lady Alese said as she very carefully handed the king his beautiful baby girl.

The only thing Yuri could think as he stared down in disbelief, awe and wonder at the miniature person who seemed not much bigger than and just as fragile as one of his mother’s porcelain dolls, was that Wolfram had been right. That would have come as no surprise to Wolfram though. Yuri could just picture that smug smile on his husband’s face.

Lady Alese patiently instructed Yuri in the proper way to hold a newborn. Yuri followed her every instruction to the letter, but would not be able to repeat a word of what she said to him if his life depended on it. He could not take his eyes off the baby cradled ever so gently in his arms. The raven black wisp of hair sticking out from under the black cap. The tiny, red pinched face. The peek of cloudy green orbs staring up at him from slit eyes. He had no doubt that in time, little Seraphina’s eyes would clear and look exactly like her mother’s and her grandmother’s. The more Yuri gazed down at this tiny little miracle, the more of Wolfram he was starting to see. It was in the roundness of her face. The cute little nose. The almost irritated line of her mouth as she sucked vigorously on a binki. The stubborn set of her chin. This was definitely Wolfram’s daughter all right.

There was a strong urge to squeal like a school girl. Daughter! The word struck Yuri as strange. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It felt so surreal. He was expecting to wake up any second now back at Covenant Castle in bed next to Wolfram. This whole episode seemed more like a dream than reality. He could not believe that this delicate little demon baby was his daughter. Was this really happening? Yes, he has been a father to Greta for several years now, but somehow this seemed different. But why? Why would it be different? Was he scared? Yes. Yes, he was. He would freely admit it. Taking care of a ten year old was one thing, but a newborn was something all together different. What if he screwed up? What if he was not ready to be a father? What if he was not a good enough father? What if-?

No!

Yuri shook those thoughts aside. There was no use in worrying over such trivial things. Even monkey’s fall from trees, right (2)?

With a trembling hand, Yuri softly stroked a knuckle up and down Seraphina’s cheek. The newborn was warm to the touch. He grinned. “Hey there little Sera,” he cooed with that same idiotic tone he scolded his mother from using. “I’m your daddy!”

Seraphina just continued to gaze up at him. There was a look on her face that said, “You are an idiot.”

Yuri chuckled through tear blurred eyes.

“She looks like you, Your Majesty,” Hussein commented from over Yuri’s right shoulder.

“Really?” Yuri gazed quickly at the captain and then back down at his daughter. He cocked his head and studied Seraphina anew. He did not see it.

“I think she resembled His Highness,” Adele added.

“Wolfram?” That Yuri could see. It was eerie in a way. Like a female version of his husband. But wait. Didn’t that mean Seraphina looked like her grandmother? An image of Lady Celi flashed through his mind. Her long yellow blond hair cascading down her back in ringlets, red-red lipstick, low-cut clingy dresses that did little to tone down how busty and well-endowed the overtly affectionate ex-Demon Queen was. Yuri shuddered. Great One forbid if Seraphina grew up to be like Lady Celi. That was all they needed.

Suddenly from out of the darkness behind Lady Alese came the sounds of rustling cloth and the rapid slap of bare feet.

Yuri glanced up curiously and watched as out of the temple one of the temple maidens appeared looking flustered.

“Lady Alese! Lady Alese! You have to come quickly!”

The grin melted from Yuri’s face. Worry took its place. Frowning, Yuri glanced from the young temple maiden to Lady Alese. “What’s going on?” he demanded. He had a really bad feeling.

“It’s His Highness!”

Yuri felt the world tilt around him. His heart thudded. Lightheaded and dizzy, obsidian orbs went wide. “Wolfram? Wolfram’s…?” Yuri felt nauseous. “Is he alright? What happened?”

“Lady Alese! Please! Lady Alese! You must hurry!”

With a serious mask slipping over her face, Lady Alese gave the maiden a sharp nod. “Alright. I’ll be right there.” She then turned towards Yuri.

“Lady Alese-”

“Your Majesty, I would like for you to remain here,” she instructed.

“But-!”

“Please, Your Majesty.” Her large golden eyes strayed down to the princess who was studying Hussein with guarded eyes. Such alertness for one who has not been upon the earth for more than ten minutes was unnatural, even for a child of the Demon Tribe.

Hussein stepped forward and clamped a hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “Your Majesty,” he began, “let Lady Alese do her job.”

“I will not let anything happen to His Highness.”

Yuri bit his lip and swallowed any number of things that were cued up to burst forth. If something was wrong with Wolfram then he wanted to be their by his side, but he understood that he would most likely just be in the way and do more harm than good. So, against his better judgment, Yuri gave Lady Alese a sharp nod.

Lady Alese inclined her head and lifting the hem of her gleaming white robe, turned on her heel and vanished within the temple, the thick blackness swallowing her and the maiden whole. The heavy silver doors swung shut on their own accord behind them, echoing thunderously across the meadow.

Yuri swallowed around a suspicious lump that had become lodged in his throat. “Please, Great One,” he prayed silently, “let him be alright.” Aloud he said, “Wolfram.” His voice barely above a whisper, it trembled as violently as his hands had earlier as they reached for their daughter. He hugged Seraphina against him as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

 

* * *

 

There have been occasions when time seemed to pass him by without him even noticing. Those times, unfortunately, were few and far in-between. What he had more experience in were those times when the clock seemed to move annoyingly slow. The second hand, he swore, loved to torture him. Ten seconds would go by and then in the blink of an eye, five of those seconds would mysteriously disappear. It was enough to make a man question his sanity. Those were the times when the days seemed to extend far into the forever. A mere thirty seconds somehow stretched on for thirty minutes. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. While it felt as if an eternity had passed since an emergency called lady Alese back into the Temple of the Water Dragons where Wolfram had just given birth to their daughter Seraphina Liese, in reality only ten minutes had passed.

“Your Majesty,” his captain of the guard assured him for the hundredth time, “His Highness will be fine.”

Yuri nodded as he unconsciously swayed back and forth. Obsidian eyes stared up at the closed temple doors in worry. He heard that same line so many times by now that the comfort they should have provided had diminished. Now they were mere words, empty of any meaning. “Wolfram.”

He dragged his gaze down to his daughter who was not much larger than his cupped hands. Her raven hair was hidden beneath a black cap. Emerald green eyes stared up at him from an olive complected round face. Swaddled tightly in a cotton-like black blanket, the child he created with Wolfram looked remarkably like Wolfram. A smile chased away the frown lines that had been on the verge of being permanently etched onto his face, though the shadows remained.

Wait until his mother learned she was to be a grandmother. Again! She was going to completely freak! Not only that, but her “baby” was now married. He and Wolfram may have eloped, which Miko “Jennifer” Shibuya will find romantic and at the same time disheartening because she had not been there to witness the momentous occasion, but he was glad he caved into the political pressure. Though, if it had been up to him, he would have like to have waited. He was, after all, just eighteen-years-old. Besides, nobody should enter into a marriage with a gun to his head, metaphorically or otherwise.

Oh, well.

Speaking of freaking, Shori was going to hit the roof! Up to this point, he “allowed” his relationship with Wolfram mostly because he had not, could not, or even refused to see a future for the two of them, at least together. Yuri was not even sure why. Maybe it was an elder sibling thing where nobody was ever going to be good enough for Yuri. It could be that Shori believed Wolfram and he would not last. There certainly was that outcome. But it did not matter. With the birth of their daughter, the two of them were forever linked. Wolfram was stuck with him and he with Wolfram whether either of them liked it or not.

He was drawn from the hypnotic gaze of his daughter, the Royal Heir (Annissina should be happy about that), when a strange sound reached his ears. What was it? Almost like a combination between a cry and someone gurgling. “Hussein?”

“I hear it Your Majesty,” Hussein said from besides him.

“What is it?” Yuri took a step forward.

“I am not sure, Sire.”

“Is it…Wolfram?”

“I do not know.”

Yuri bit his lip. He did not like this. Not one bit. “I wonder what’s going on. Lady Alese should’ve been back by now, don’t you think?”

“Patience, Your Majesty.”

That was something Yuri was quickly running out of. “Hussein.” He turned to face the captain of his Black Knights.

“Sire?”

Something must have happened. That had to be it. What other reason was there? They would have heard something by now otherwise, right? A painful jolt thudded through Yuri’s heart. He clutched his chest while trying to retain hold of his fidgeting daughter. Not an easy task. “Here.” He gently handed over his newborn daughter into Hussein’s arms. “I’m appointing you Seraphina’s personal guard until further notice.”

“What?” Hussein paled. “But Sire!”

“Watch her as if your life depended on it,” Yuri ordered.

“B-but Sire…!”

Little did Yuri know right he was.

Uncertain, Hussein held the Princess and future Demon Queen uncomfortably in his arms. He regarded her warily. Fear trickled through him as his amber eyes locked with the tiny princess’ flame licked ones. She was barely an hour old and to have such awareness! This child was not a normal baby, even for a demon. He was not sure what that meant and that frightened him even more.

“Where will you be Your Majesty?” Adele inquired, either unaware of or did not care about his captain’s plight.

Yuri turned to face the temple. A look of determination crossed his face. His slit eyes regarded the closed doors. He had to figure out what was going on one way or another. The decision made, the Demon King went to take a step towards the temple doors when they swung open before him. “Huh?” Yuri peered into the darkness. A shadow darker than those around it stepped forward. His heart started hammering in anticipation. “Lady Alese,” he breathed as the petit woman emerged. His dark eyes caught sight of the small bundle wrapped within a blanket similar to the one swaddling Seraphina the priestess was holding gently in her arms. Confusion and curiosity swirled around Yuri.

“Congratulations seem to be in order yet again, Your Majesty.”

“Wha…?”

“Sire, may I present Rey August Shibuya…Your son.”

Yuri’s mind went blank. “My…son?”

There was a smattering of sound about him.

“Yes, sir, Your Majesty.”

“But…” His gaze swept over to Hussein who still held Seraphina. “Sera…”

“It seems, Sire,” Adele said stepping forward, “that you were right.”

“I was?” Yuri turned towards his Lieutenant. “How?”

“Twins.”

“’Twins’?” The Demon King regarded the second bundle before him. Then at his daughter. Then back. He barked out a laugh. “Twins.” Guess that means that Wolfram and those at the castle who bet on a boy “because of the way Wolfram was carrying” were both right. He wondered how Sangria, Doria and Lasagna were going to split the winnings.

“Would you like to hold him, Sire?” Lady Alese asked.

Yuri’s head snapped up. “Could I?”

“Of course.” She gave a slight laugh.

Stepping forward, Yuri held out his arms and stooped slightly in order to receive his son. It was only then he noticed he was trembling. As he gazed down into the baby boy’s face, his eyes misted over. Was this really his son?

“What’s his name?”

“Rey.”

“Brave one,” Adele translated.

“A strong name for the son of the Demon King,” Hussein added. He was trying to ignore the strong fear the princess emanated within him. It was not working. Her eyes seemed to be boring holes into his face.

“He’s beautiful,” Yuri whispered, gazing into dark cloudy eyes that seemed to be regarding him. Once they cleared, Rey’s eyes would be darker than night, just like his. But Seraphina’s were already so clear. So sharp. Why the difference?

“He looks exactly like you, Your Majesty.”

Yuri turned towards Adele in surprise. “Really?” He turned back to the Royal Prince. Rey certainly had his eyes, but Yuri could see wisps of startling blond hair peeking out from underneath the black cap. He gaped in awe. He could definitely see bits of Wolfram in their son, other than the hair. They were not as obvious as they were in their daughter, but they were there. He could even see a little of Lady Celi. But him? He didn’t see it. His father maybe. Either way, his son was beautiful.

Yuri choked back a sob. Like his big sister, Rey was not much larger than Yuri’s forearm. He had never seen such a small person before. Maiko, Shuichi’s little sister, used to have baby dolls that were bigger than Rey.

His son. Was this really his child? His flesh and blood that not too long ago had been growing within Wolfram? Had he and his husband really created this living, breathing demon child?

The mist turned into rain.

Yuri gazed over his shoulder through his tears at his beautiful daughter who continued to eye Hussein suspiciously. He had to chuckle at that. Seraphina. His daughter.

He turned back to the squirming baby boy in his arms. Rey. His son. “This is like a dream,” he whispered. Yuri ran the back oh his knuckles across his son’s flushed cheeks gently.

“This is no dream, Your Majesty,” Lady Alese said with a smile.

“I know.” It was just so surreal. Him. Married with children. Whoever would have thought? “Uh, oh.”

Just then Rey’s little red face crumbled.

“Uhm…”

Rey’s mouth popped open and a piercing wail erupted.

Yuri winced. Wow. Rey definitely had his mother’s lungs.

Adele stumbled backwards with a groan as his hands flew to his ears.

Lady Alese just continued to smile pleasantly.

If nothing else, Rey could be utilized as a weapon of mass destruction against the enemies of the Great Demon Kingdom.

Held awkwardly in Hussein’s arms, Seraphina peered around the blanket at her brother. Her piercing gaze seemed to say, “Wimp.”

“There. There.” Yuri rocked Rey awkwardly. A mixture of emotions erupted within him. Nervousness. Uncertainty. Fear. “Uh…Uhm…”

“Oh, my,” exclaimed one of the Temple Maidens as she strode out of the temple doors. Her long cerulean blue hair was secured off her face in a French braid and hidden beneath a solid black veil that was pinned around her head. “It sounds like someone’s hungry.”

“Hungry?” Yuri looked from the maiden in her loose white jumpsuit to his wailing son. “You can tell?”

“But of course! Since a baby cannot speak, it has to communicate in other ways.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why babies cry all the time.”

“Exactly, Your Majesty, but each cry is different depending on what the baby wants.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes, Sire.”

“Wow.” Yuri was surprised. “You sure know a lot.”

“Well, I raised my little sister after both our parents died in the epidemic.”

“Oh, wow. That’s pretty cool,” Yuri breathed. Then he realized that what he said might be misconstruing. “Ah! I mean-“

The Maiden shook her head. “It’s alright. But if Your Majesty would like to come with me, I’ll bring you to His Excell-I, uh, mean, His Highness.”

Wolfram.

Yuri nodded curtly as his heart started hammering again. First the Maiden stepped back into the temple, melting within the shadows. Followed by Yuri with his still crying son wriggling uncontrollably in his arms and then Hussein who had Seraphina. Adele and then Lady Alese closed in from behind.

The thundering sound of the double temple doors shutting echoed around them.

 

* * *

 

So much has happened in such a short amount of time.

First, he officially asked Wolfram to marry him.

Then he had to risk life and limb by getting Gwendal’s blessing.

There was that man who came to the Great Demon Kingdom hoping to be treated as a hero after he failed to assassinate King Belar--all he received though was a one way ticket back to Big Cimarron to stand trial.

He signed Mother’s Day into law.

Wolfram dropped that bombshell on him. Those flu-like symptoms he had been experiencing turned out not to be because he was sick, but because he was pregnant. That was something Yuri had not seen coming. Though, admittedly, if he would have paid more attention to Günter during his lessons, then maybe it would not have been such a surprise, but it was hard to pay attention to his aide. The man was just so boring!

More countries joined the Alliance.

Caloria gained full autonomy and independence from Big Cimarron.

Women now had the right to inherit in their own right.

His precious little girl had a boyfriend. “Had” being the keyword. That sly demon fox tried to get a little too frisky. Greta panicked and…to cut a long story short, said boyfriend now knew what a piece of meat felt like flame barbecued.

Add a rushed wedding into the mix, a haywire, roller-coaster ride of emotions courtesy of a very expectant Wolfram, a pile of paperwork each night taller than Mount Fuji and now not one, but two new entries into their growing family.

That seemed to be the norm in Shinmakoku. Something was always happening somewhere. It certainly kept things interested.

He said it before and he would say it again: even if he could, he would not change a thing about his life.

His husband of a mere handful of hours appeared completely wiped out. His luscious golden man had the consistency of straw. His face was drawn and haggard. His fiery temper to match the emerald flames in his eyes was diminished from a heart-stopping roar unto a playful--if not slightly irritated--meow. He was unkempt. It was un-Wolfram-like and highly unusual. Usually Wolfram would not be caught dead with even a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his uniform, even if it was one only he could see. It was actually kind of humbling. It made Wolfram seem human. Though, Yuri was not so suicidal as to say to out loud.

The Temple Maidens had gathered around the bed Wolfram was resting upon, a mountain of pillows and blankets encasing him. They cooed and fawned over the Royal Twins, gushing cutely to the point pf nausea.

Lady Alese was speaking quietly to a very attentive Wolfram, who was nodding almost nonstop at everything she was saying.

“Wimp!”

Despite his muscles turning into jelly from a fatigue he probably had never experienced before, Wolfram’s voice was still as sharp and commanding as ever. It snapped Yuri’s head around and out of his musings.

“What are you doing over there?” Wolfram demanded. “If you’re ogling all of the-“

Yuri’s heavy sigh drowned out the rest of the accusation. Here we go again.

Adele and Hussein chuckled lightly from either side of him.

“Wolfram.” His voice was soft, but there was a hard commanding edge underlining it.

“Don’t you even try to deny it, you wimp.” Wolfram glared across the room at him.

“Wolf,” Yuri sighed, “the only person I’m ‘ogling’ is my husband.”

The statement was followed by squeals and a wave of fierce blushes that swept through the temple.

Wolfram opened his mouth, but the snappish reply never came and he closed his mouth without saying a word. A pinkish tint colored his cheeks. Clearing his throat, Wolfram looked away while saying, “Good.”

Yuri shook of his head.

One of the Temple Maidens, a different one than before, stepped forward and placed Rey into his mother’s arms. Guess it was time for dinner, Yuri assumed when he noticed another Maiden appear from a doorway he had not noticed earlier with a bottle in her hand.

“Wolf,” he called as he crossed the chamber.

“Yuri.”

An aisle was created for him as one by one the Maidens and the guards stepped aside.

Yuri sat gently on the bed besides his family. A soft smile crossed his face. Reaching out, he traced Wolfram’s chiseled jaw line.

Wolfram tipped his head into the touch, before shaking himself free. He eyed Yuri suspiciously. “What are you up to wimp?”

Yuri smiled sweetly at him, shaking his head.

Though Wolfram could not hide the fact that he was blushing, he violently clearing his throat and focused on feeding his son who was sucking on a bottle of what appeared to be milk as if his life depended on it.

“I think it’s time that we returned home.”

“Hm. Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”

“I wonder if they’ve realized that we’re not in the castle.”

“Probably.”

Yuri groaned. “Great. Just what I need. To be castigated the same day I got married and my children were born.”

Wolfram harrumphed. “It would serve you right.”

“What? Why? What did I do?” Yuri could not help but whine.

Wolfram gave him a look that said it all.

Yuri gulped and laughed nervously. Dear Great One, what had he gotten himself into?

 

* * *

 

**Covenant Castle**

The Commander in Chief under the 27th Demon King, Yuri Shibuya, and brother to the fiancé of the Demon King stormed through the castle like a man possessed, down the long winding corridors meant to confuse any of those foolish enough to wander into the castle, the same halls he has been walking since before his birth. He’d know his way even blind, deaf and struck dumb. As he made his way to the Demon King’s private wing, those he passed gave him a wide berth. Once they were safely out of his line of fire, they began whispering amongst themselves. The rumor that the Demon King had slipped away with Lord Wolfram to secretly elope had made its way throughout the castle. Nobody could prove this, but the mere fact that Lord Von Voltaire was in such a foul and destructive mood confirmed their suspicions. Doria, Sangria and Lasagna were already making the rounds collection bets.

“Gwendal,” Conrart tried for the umpteenth time, “don’t you think you are going a little overboard?”

Gwendal’s long graying black hair swung violently as he turned the last corner. The doors leading into the King’s private wing were in sight.

“Even if the rumors are true and His Majesty and Wolfram have eloped, would it be so bad?”

It was after all the whole point of the last three months. Whether it was done in a proper, formal and traditional manner with the entire kingdom in attendance or in a quick, informal ceremony with only the minimum number of witnesses permitted, as long as His Majesty and Wolfram were properly married before the birth of their child, what did it matter? Everyone knew that it was a race against time. Would the baby come first or would Yuri and Wolfram have time to wed? Even a rushed wedding takes time. So Gwendal knew that it was entirely possible that Wolfram could go into labor before the wedding ceremony scheduled for a week’s time. If that happened, there would be no other option but for His Majesty and Wolfram to elope. At least they would be married before the Royal Heir was born. Afterwards, when Wolfram was properly rested, the formal ceremony could commence. So, what was Gwendal getting into such a state for? Maybe it had something to do with the “elder sibling disease”?

The two Black Knights standing guard outside the King’s bedchamber sensed them coming before they were in sight. “My Lords.” They snapped to attention.

Ignoring them as if they weren’t there, Gwendal threw open the doors. The face that Yuri’s guards were still at their posts confirmed what he already knew. Or thought he knew anyway.

The guards glanced at each other uncertainly. They broke out into a nervous sweat.

Conrart watched from the threshold as his older brother marched across the chamber and tore open the heavy velvet drapes that curtained the bed. His eyes went wide.

“I knew it,” Gwendal growled.

“Oh! There you are,” exclaimed a new voice happily.

The brothers turned. “Your Eminence.”

In the doorway stood Ken Murata in his gold hemmed black uniform. “I’ve been looking all over for you guys.”

“Where is he?” demanded Gwendal.

“With Lady Gisela,” Ken answered as if the answer should have been obvious.

“What?”

“My Lord,” Conrart asked in a deadly calm voice, “has something happened?”

“Well…” Ken pushed his glasses back up with his finger. They gleamed in the rapidly falling light. “You could say that.”

“Enough,” Gwendal snapped. “Has something happened or not?”

Ken sighed. Lord Von Voltair was the same as ever: impatient and no fun. “Well, while you were running around the castle, it seems that Lord Von Bielefelt went into labor.”

“What?!”

I knew it, Conrart thought.

“But there’s no need to worry,” Ken continued, “I had-Woh! Hey! Wait! Lord Von Voltaire!” He sighed again as Gwendal rushed passed him in a green blur and quickly vanished. “Ah man and I didn’t get to tell him the happy news.” His expression did not look the least bit disappointed as his tone suggested.

Conrart stepped forward. “Your Eminence?”

Ken turned towards the middle brother with a chuckle.

 

* * *

 

The castle clinic had taken over the guest wing which had fallen into serious disrepair because of the continual infestation of the Bear Bee. Because it had sat long abandoned in order to protect the Bear Bees whose young were born each spring in the basement, it had become a serious danger to the same creatures the rumors of “monsters” were supposedly trying to protect. So the guest house was renovated top to bottom and retrofitted as the new clinic. By the suggestion of Conrart, the basement was kept empty and ready for the Bear Bees. Of course, a new entrance was constructed for them, making it easier for them to come and go. But this led to a new problem.

With the formation of the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance, various leaders and ambassadors from those countries newly allied with the Great Demon Kingdom were constantly in attendance at Covenant Castle. Even with new barracks being built for the soldiers that freed up considerable room within the castle itself, there was still not enough room for the many visitors Covenant Castle hosted on a daily basis. So, an entirely new wing had been constructed. Conveniently, its construction was due to be completed by the time of the Royal Wedding.

“Ah, Gwendal,” Anissina greeted as he strode up to the door of the guest wing turned clinic.

“I don’t have time-“

“Come to see the Royal Heirs?”

That stopped Gwendal cold. “What did you just say?” he asked, turning towards the neon pink haired inventor.

“What? Don’t you know?”

Gwendal remained silent.

Smirking at the knowledge that she knew something her best friend did not; Anissina turned and strode into the hospital wing. “Come.”

Frowning, Gwendal could do nothing but follow. He did not like being left out of the loop.

 

* * *

 

“Awe,” Lady Celi cooed over her newly arrived grandchildren. “They are certainly adorable.

“Ah, Princess Seraphina with her regal black hair and young master Rey with his black eyes. Most befitting of the Great Demon Kingdom,” Günter gushed.

“Twins. Who would have thought,” Gwendal said as he too fawned over the newly arrived royal babies.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Conrad,” Yuri greeted as his godfather appeared behind him.

“Hey,” Wolfram barked from the queen-sized bed, “I just managed to get them asleep! If you wake them up, so help me I’ll-!”

“Please, Your Excellency,” Gisela was saying as she strained with her hands on Wolfram’s shoulders. “You need to rest.”

“Get off of me,” Wolfram ordered sharply. “I will not have any of you-“

“Oh, Wolfie, settle down,” Lady Celi told her baby boy. “A grandma has the right to spoil her own grandchildren to her heart’s content.”

Yuri sighed heavily as the bickering continued back and forth and back again like a tennis match. Ridiculous. Things never change do they? He was amazed that neither of the twins had woken up. Sound sleepers. Good. They were going to need to be, living at Covenant Castle.

“Where is Greta, Your Majesty?” Conrart inquired.

“I’m not sure,” Yuri admitted. He still felt bad that she had to remain behind while he and Wolfram eloped, but it would have aroused too much attention if both he, Wolfram and Greta went missing at the same time, but he was sure that the kingdom and Wolfram would insist on the public wedding. So, Greta still had her chance to be the Flower Girl.

“Oh, she was making a surprise for her new sister and brother,” Ken informed them.

“Ah!”

“Your Majesty, I would like to congratulate you on the birth of the young Princess.”

Yuri turned. “Anissina. Thank you, but you go know that we had a boy as well.”

Anissina waved his statement aside. “Yes, but she is the Royal Heir, Your Majesty. Princess Seraphina will be the one who will succeed you.”

Yuri had a very bad feeling.

“And I will be the one who will oversee her training.”

Yuri gulped. Dear Great One, help them all.

“I will personally make sure she is-“

“You will do no such thing,” Wolfram snapped from the other side of the room.

“Now now Wolfram.”

“I will not have you anywhere near my daughter! Do you hear me?”

Oh, boy, Yuri thought with a tired sigh as once again the sound of bickering filled the air. It never failed. They could not be in the same room together for more than five minutes without an argument of some sort breaking out. A smile broke out across Yuri’s face. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

With a light chuckle, Conrart pat Yuri’s shoulder before crossing the room towards the two bassinettes sitting at the foot of Wolfram’s bed.

“You sure attract all types, Shibuya.”

Yuri groaned. “Don’t remind me. But I do want to thank you.” He turned to face his long time friend.

“Nah! Don’t worry about it. It was actually kind of fun.”

“What exactly did you tell them?”

“Well,” Ken scratched his cheek, “I merely told them the truth.”

The color drained out of Yuri’s face. Panic set in. “What?!”

“Relax, Shibuya,” Ken said in a hushed tone.

Yuri glanced quickly at the others surrounding Wolframs bed. Good. They weren’t paying him and Ken any attention. It was a good thing. The last thing Yuri needed was to have them react to his outburst. How he would explain it away was beyond him. He was not a very good liar. Ran in the family. But it was not a very good idea to prove the rumors true either. “How can you tell me to relax when-?” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“Shibuya, all I told Lord Weller was that not very long after waking from his nap, Lord Von Bielefelt went into labor. And by your order, the Priestess was brought to the castle and she married you and Lord Von Bielefelt in a short, quick ceremony.”

Yuri was amazed. “Wow, Murata. Not bad.” He could always count on Ken Murata to have his back. A quick thought crossed his mind. He narrowed his eyes. “You did tell them that we were married before Seraphina and Rey were born, didn’t you?”

Ken pet the air between them. “Don’t worry, Shibuya. It’s all been taken care of.”

“Hmm.” Yuri did not doubt it. He may not agree with his best friend’s methods one-hundred percent of the time, but Murata did get the job done. He would trust him with his life. “Thanks again, Murata.”

“Like I said, it was fun.”

Bringing up his left hand, Yuri took in the marque that had been stamped o the back. He smiled. His chest swelled with pride. Tears misted his eyes.

Lifting his head, he scrubbed his face free of the water gathering there, but it was futile. You cannot turn off a faucet that had no dials.

“Oh! Oh! No Mother! C’mon! No! Stop it!”

Yuri chuckled at the sight. Lady Celi was the same as always. Smothering Wolfram to her plump bosom.

It sure was good to be home.

His grin slipped. Dropping his gaze to the floor, his hands clenched into tight fists. Then he relaxed his grip. Lifting his head, he gazed at his family: Conrart, Gwendal, Anissina, Lady Celi, Günter, Ken, Wolfram and now Seraphina and Rey.

_Shuichi narrowed his eyes. “This has nothing to do with society or how you were raised,” he continued. His aunt Jennifer was very open-minded and the least prejudicial person in the world. Not even the Pope can say that. Shuichi could not even say that about himself. “No. This is about ’him’, isn’t it?”_

His cousin’s words echoed in his head. Yuri knew he had to tell Wolfram about Kojiro. Wolfram deserved to know the truth. But…

“Yuri.”

A soft voice spoke up from behind him.

“Greta!” Yuri turned and caught sight of his daughter as she stepped into the room.

He loved his life here. As Demon King. As a father. As a husband. All he wanted was to concentrate on the future, but what was a future or even a present without a past? Our pasts made us who we are. It laid the groundwork for what was to come. It dictates our actions. All he wanted was to forget his. But would erasing what had been affect what is or what will be? The last thing Yuri wanted was to go back to that time, but did he really want to risk the future of his husband and his children over such an unknown? That was the question.

 

**…The End…**

**(1)** Seraphina – Hebrew: afire, angel, seraph / Liese – German: form of Elizabeth, meaning consecrated to God  
 **(2)** Japanese proverb. “Saru mo ki kara ochiru”. Means “Everybody makes mistakes/Nobody’s perfect.”

“Rey” – German meaning “Brave One”  
“August” – Latin meaning “Revered, exalted”


End file.
